Nightingale
by smanfan
Summary: Sookie is a nurse at a mental health facility, and her mundane life gets turned upside down when a unique patient arrives.
1. Chapter 1

**a/n: I know, I shouldn't be starting another story while I have That Was Then, This is Now still going on. But I've had this idea for awhile now and can never seem to find the time to write it down. So I finally started it and have this intro done. Who knows maybe this has been done before, I have no idea. But it seemed like it could be fun to write so yeah... **

Chapter One

I had been working at Brennan Hospital for two years now. It was the best decision I had ever made in my life. For the longest time I worked as a barmaid at Merlotte's, my town's local watering hole. However that was never what I truly wanted to do. So awhile back I took my Gran's advice and went back to school. I took mostly online courses when I could since it was easier for work as well as my disability. Unfortunately I was never quite normal and my entire life I have been able to hear people's thoughts.

Being telepathic was a curse for most of my life. But then I finished school and applied for a nursing job at Brennan Hospital in Shreveport. It was a psychiatric hospital and you would think being able to hear people's thoughts there would be the worst. On the contrary I discovered my ability could finally be useful. People that everyone classifies as crazy, or a lost cause, I could go right into their mind and see if it was true. I know if their meds are starting to work, or if we should switch them to something else because it's doing nothing. I can also tell that in some cases the people aren't crazy at all. Sometimes they just need a little extra help for a few months and they're back on their feet.

It felt so good to finally use my telepathy rather than trying to fight and ignore it. I still wished to be normal most of the time, but this was better than feeling useless at Merlotte's. Tonight I had the late shift at the hospital. I was stuck working from 11pm to 7am. So it was pitch black out and I was eating breakfast before making the drive from Bon Temps to Shreveport.

I made a sandwich and quietly ate dinner. The old farmhouse was a bit lonely these days. My Gran had been gone for a year now and it was still hard to think of her without getting misty eyed. But I still had my brother Jason who lived five minutes down the road in our parent's house. I noticed the time and quickly finished eating and packed some food to bring with me to the hospital. Then I hopped into my old Honda and drove down to Shreveport.

"Hey Sook!" Amelia greeted my cheerfully from the nurse's station. I smiled back at her and stopped to put my things in the fridge before heading over.

"Hi Ames, you working the graveyard shift too?" I enjoyed working with Amelia. She was quite the broadcaster with her thoughts but she was also a nice, genuine person.

"Yep, should be a boring night as always." She plopped down in the computer chair to start working on paperwork nobody ever wanted to do.

I got everything together to check on each patient and give them their medication if they were scheduled for anything. It always took awhile since if someone was awake I tried to be kind and take a few minutes to talk with them. Luckily we didn't have anyone who got very violent at the moment. So I didn't have to worry about that. It had happened in the past though and I always felt terrible seeing someone forcefully restrained. But it was for the staff's safety too.

Around 8:30 I finished checking up on everyone. We were a small facility with only one floor so I wasn't checking ten floors of patients like a huge hospital in the city. Everything was quiet and many of the patients were already in bed. I stopped at the supply closet near the entrance and grabbed a watering can. We had beautiful flowers out front that no one seemed to water. I loved seeing them on a sunny day though and made it a habit to water them whenever I came to work.

I filled the watering can at the sink to avoid being outside to long and being bitten by the bugs. It was summer in Louisiana, there were plenty of mosquitoes outside. When I opened the door I nearly dropped the watering can. There was a man sitting on the cement steps that lead to our front door from a path that meandered through the lawn in front of the facility. He had no shirt on and was just sitting there with his back to me.

Finally I cleared my throat and he turned around.

Let me tell you, I could only describe him as beautiful. His hair was dirty blonde and a bit messy. It was short but long enough to look wind blown from running or being in a convertible. His skin was fair but completely smooth. He had probably never had a pimple in his life. Then there were his eyes. They were this amazing shade of blue that made me think of a frozen lake.

"Hello… can I help you?" There we go, finally found the voice!

He looked up at me and seemed rather helpless. The man didn't say anything.

"Excuse me, do you need help?" What was he doing sitting on the steps alone with no shirt?

"I…." His voice was quiet and very cautious. "…don't know."

Okay so I had no idea how this man arrived here but it seemed like he was at the right place.

"What's your name?" I started off with the basics.

"Um, I'm not sure…" His forehead crumpled and his face turned into a frown. He seemed frustrated at not being able to remember his name.

"Okay well why don't you stand up and come inside with me?" This man needed help and hopefully we could find a way to ID him and contact his family.

He got up slowly and then I had to really look up at him. The guy was a freaking giant! The top of my head barely made it to his shoulder. I had to try very hard to not stare at his perfectly sculpted chest. Damn, whoever he was, I bet he worked as a male model. The poor guy still seemed so unsure. Instead of a grown man over six feet tall he was acting like a lost puppy. I felt bad for him. It had to be frightening to not know what was going on. I reached out for his arm but he automatically grabbed my hand. His skin was a bit too warm but it was hot and humid outside so I wasn't surprised.

"Come on, we'll get you inside and into some clean clothes." He also had no shoes and filthy jeans on. I led the way inside with the mystery man trailing a step behind me and still holding my hand. When I got to the nurse's station Amelia's eyes were wide as saucers.

_Damn Sook doesn't usually have many boyfriends but this one is delicious. Wonder what they were doing outside for him to have half his clothes off. _The thoughts in her head had that sarcastic but happy tone to them. The exact same as if Amelia had spoken them to me and was just glad I was having fun with someone. Unfortunately she was all wrong.

"Who is this?" She stepped out from behind the counter.

"I don't know. I just found him sitting outside. He doesn't even know his own name." I explained and Amelia quickly went into work mode.

We did a complete check up and all of his vitals were great. From what we could tell this man was in peak physical condition. But we both knew you could be healthy as a horse and something traumatic could cause your brain to just snap. I wondered what could have happened to make him lose who he was. We had asked him a bunch of questions and all he remembered was walking in the front yard of the hospital and then sitting on the steps.

When Amelia left to get him some water I decided to do a little digging. I had yet to hear a thought from him but some people were just quieter than others. I briefly touched his hand. "You're sure you don't remember anything else?"

Silence. There was nothing but the quiet around us and distant sounds of crickets outside. Strange. That had never happened to me before. Usually when I touched someone it magnified their thoughts and made them easier to read. But with this guy there was just peaceful quiet. It was very unusual.

"No, I'm sorry I just don't remember anything before fifteen minutes ago." He was sitting on the edge of the bed now in the white pajama pants and t-shirt we had given him.

Amelia dropped off the water and then we heard someone up and moving a few rooms down. "I'll check on him, it's probably thinking he's still playing minor league baseball."

Old had played ball for a couple years when he was young and for some reason he woke up in the middle of the night and would start pitching things.

"Alright thanks" I smiled and Amelia slipped out the door. I looked over at the man who had taken a few sips of his water.

"You hungry?" He shook his head and leaned back in bed. He made it look tiny.

"Okay you just get some rest and I'll check on you in the morning." I turned to go back to the nurse's station.

"Wait" He sat up some. "Can you stay? Just for a little while?"

I paused. It wouldn't hurt to sit with him for a bit and the poor guy just looked so startled. Sort of like when a little kid had a nightmare and wasn't ready to face their dark room alone.

"Alright" I sighed and pulled over the only other chair in the room. I took a seat and he gave me a small smile. I tried to not think about how adorable his grin was.

"What's your name?" He asked quietly.

"Sookie" I realized then that I hadn't told him.

"Nice to meet you Sookie" He laid back in bed again and I couldn't say the same back to him. Since I still did not know his name or who he was at all.

**a/n: I think we all know who the mystery man is... **


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

The following day I went into work for the same shift. I was looking forward to having a day off tomorrow and then getting a couple day shifts. When I got there a woman dressed like a high fashion soccer mom was at the front desk. I went behind the desk and put my things down. My boss Octavia, a kind older woman, was trying to appease the grouchy soccer mom. She really was a grumpy woman and also looked like she might scratch your eyes out with those perfect nails.

They both seemed to quiet down some once I arrived.

"We'll take care of him. I'll call you if there are any changes in his condition." Octavia said and the woman simply nodded and walked away. She didn't even say thank you. I bet you she was a city person. They were usually pretty god damn rude.

"Who was that?" I sat down in the computer chair next to Octavia.

"You know that blonde man that showed up last night?" She was filling out paperwork with her glasses halfway down her nose.

"Yes" I replied all too quickly.

"That was his sister. She came in once she heard we called the police last night to see if anyone put a missing persons report out." Octavia had yet to look up from her work.

I was burning with curiosity and tried to hide it. I had no idea why I was so interested except for his oddly quiet mind. "So… who is he?"

Octavia sighed and looked at me like I was an overly talkative child. We usually got along so I had no idea why she seemed a little prickly about this topic. He was just a patient.

"His name is Eric Northman" She sighed "His sister said something stressful happened and she suspects that's why he's having memory trouble. She requested no medication for him. She wants to wait it out but have him stay here just in case."

I just nodded and got to work. Geez, what was so hard about explaining that? It would have been easy to pick through her mind and see if she was hiding anything. However that felt childish so I shrugged it off as her being grouchy.

A couple hours later I was getting my things together for the nightly rounds. Octavia was still at her computer silently working. It was usually quiet when we worked together. She was not chatty like Amelia but I didn't mind it. She also was not a loud broadcaster and her thoughts were usually fairly quiet. I went around all of the rooms and checked on each patient. I saved one in particular for last.

"Eric?" I knocked and opened the door slowly.

He didn't look at me right away. In fact he was staring out the window and it seemed to take a second for him to realize Eric was his own name. Poor fella.

"I guess that's me…" When he turned to face me it was still shocking how tall he was. I felt bad for him too. Because other than the memory loss he seemed perfectly normal. Why wouldn't his sister try to take him home and wait it out? It seemed like he could function fine in society as long as he knew his name. Most of the patients here might not be violent, but their disorders were just too much for them to hold a job and live on their own. Half of them would forget tomorrow anything they did today.

"How are you Sookie?" Eric seemed to have no problem remembering my name from last night.

"I'm supposed to ask you that." I grinned and stepped further into the small room. "I'm fine though."

"Only fine? What was wrong with it?" He seemed curious.

"Um, nothing? Fine means it was… the same as every other day. Nothing went wrong." I wasn't sure what he was getting at.

"Oh… I just thought your day should be great if nothing went wrong." Eric explained and sat down on the edge of his bed. I pondered that statement. Maybe he was right…. Fine sure as hell sounded like I was settling for less in my day to day life.

"Any changes? Do you remember anything?" I decided to change the subject.

"I don't think so." He shrugged and took a sip of the water at his bedside.

"Is that a yes or a no?" If he could pester me about being fine, then I could pester him about this. Plus I was his nurse. It was allowed.

"I don't want to sound crazy and I know if I say this it'll make you think I belong here." Eric actually seemed nervous about what I thought. His blue eyes went to the window again. You could barely see the moon behind the thin grey clouds.

"I don't think you're crazy. What did you remember? Anything can help."

Eric's voice was quiet and I had to listen hard to hear him. "I dreamed I was in the sky. I was flying over everything. It felt real, like something I had done before. The humid summer wind was on my skin and I could see all the lights from Shreveport below me."

He didn't turn back to look at me yet thank god. I quickly hid any emotion that might indicate I indeed thought he might be a tad more in need of help than I had been thinking. When his head turned back towards me and I caught his gaze, I wanted to believe him. The truth was right there in his eyes. I could swear there was not a mean or manipulative bone in this man's body. His expression was so honest and almost innocent.

"Maybe you used to fly an airplane? Sometimes our dreams give reality a little twist." That actually made sense and he wouldn't be crazy if that was the case.

It was obvious Eric did not buy my theory. However he did not bother arguing either. "Maybe" He shrugged.

"Okay, I have to go, let me know if you need anything." I really did have to get back to the front desk. Octavia would notice I had taken longer than usual on my rounds.

Eric's face fell slightly but he tried to hide it. My heart melted a bit seeing that he liked having me around. Then I reminded myself he was a patient and I shouldn't be caring about anything more than his recovery.

"Will you come back before you leave?" God, he was giving me this puppy dog look I couldn't say no to. Then I'd feel like the most evil person in the world.

"I'll try to stop by on my way out this morning." I smiled softly at him and that seemed to be enough for now. He rolled onto his side and looked to be going to sleep.

I exited the room and quietly shut the door behind me. Already I wanted to go back in and talk to him. He didn't even know who he was but I was fascinated. He seemed like a true gentle giant and I wondered how the heck he managed to stay that way with how shitty society was these days.

**a/n: please review! It always makes me write faster!**


	3. Chapter 3

**a/n: Thanks so much to everyone reviewing and adding this story to their alerts! Ya'll rock my socks! I know there are quite a few questions about Eric and where all of this is going. For now my lips are sealed, there will be more hints hidden in the chapters. **

**Chapter 3**

I woke up the following morning with Eric still on my mind. I was painfully curious about him. Unfortunately I had the day off today so that meant I wouldn't see him. I just hoped his sister did not show up and take him home suddenly. I still wanted to get to know him better.

The phone rang and when I picked it up I heard my brother Jason's voice over the line.

"Sook? You awake?" He really asked dumb questions sometimes.

"Yes Jay, I'm awake if I'm answering." I grumbled and opened the fridge to pour myself some milk.

"You still need that firewood chopped for the winter?" That was surprising. Jason wasn't the worst brother in the world but he also wasn't the best either.

"Yes…." It was obvious I was suspicious.

"Alright well I can come by and do that today for ya, maybe lunch could be included in the deal?" Ha, he must be bored and hungry. I bet Hoyt was busy and it was too early for a booty call to Dawn.

"Sure thing, see you here in a few" I agreed and hung up the phone. Lunch was a small fee to pay and even if it was because he was bored, I was still grateful he was helping me.

Jason showed up soon enough and got to work outside. I made us both homemade beef stew for lunch. It wasn't the most summery meal but it was one of our favorites from Gran's recipes. As I cooked I thought over a million scenarios of who Eric might be in his regular life. He seemed so quiet and mild mannered… I bet he worked at a computer all day. Maybe he was one of those people that sat in a cubicle in a massive company and had just become another number. He seemed shy enough to just blend in with the masses despite his stature.

Then I thought about his sister Pam. She seemed rich and definitely from the city. I bet if she was wealthy his entire family was. Maybe Eric was actually the CEO of a company and sat in an executive office all day in some spotless suit. I'm sure he would look delicious in it… but I couldn't say I liked picturing him that way. Somehow it made him seem arrogant in the image in my mind. I didn't like it.

I looked out the window and saw Jason finishing up the last of the wood. He wiped some sweat from his forehead. What if Eric was like us? Like my brother and I, I mean. What if he was not super rich and was not from the city at all? Maybe he was like Jason and knew how to work outside and drove a pickup truck. Picturing Eric out in the sun with his shirt off was quite the nice image. Now why couldn't he be in my backyard instead of my lame brother right now? I clearly remembered what Eric's bare torso looked like. It was close to perfection.

"Lunch ready?" Jason came stomping, covered in sweat.

"Almost, have a seat I'lll get you some iced tea." My wonderful daydreaming was forced to an end. I got Jason his food and sat down across from him. Since Gran was gone this was the family I had. So even though we both annoyed each other we did our best to spend time together. Jason used to be much more of an ass than he was now. Ever since we lost Gran though I noticed he changed his tune some. Instead of putting sex before everything else he actually made time to come see me each week. It was nice, even though he definitely had his moments where he seemed like a 16 year old jerk again.

The rest of my day off was uneventful. I found myself looking forward to my shift at the hospital. Plus I knew I was working with Kennedy tomorrow. She was as laid back as they came. Supposedly she had been in prison before but that was never confirmed. Kennedy was not a nurse but she did a ton of secretarial work for us. She also tended to get super absorbed in her Cosmopolitan magazines and wouldn't talk for an entire eight hour shift. That meant she would have no idea, and wouldn't give a shit if I spent an hour or two talking to Eric.

Early the next morning I headed into work. My old Honda chugged down the road to Brennan Hospital which was just inside the Shreveport border. I parked in my usual spot beneath a huge Willow tree. The sunlight filtered down through the leaves creating splotches of light. Maybe I could bring Eric outside for a walk through the small garden today. I'm sure he was sick of sitting in his room all the time.

I said hello to Kennedy who was already reading a magazine and barely registered my presence. Perfect. Before I was bored by her and wanted to work with my friend Amelia. Now I was happy for the extra space. I went through my tasks in record time. I checked up on everyone and made sure they took their morning medication. Everything went smoothly and by 10 AM I was knocking on the door to 214, Eric's room.

"Come in" He said quietly and I opened the door to find him staring out the window again. The only thing that had changed was his pajama bottoms were light blue instead of white. We didn't have much else to provide him with to wear. Most of our other patients who could get out of bed had families that brought clothes for them. I had no clue why Eric's sister wouldn't have taken the time to do such a small thing for him. She seemed quite selfish to me so far.

"It's just me. Any better today?" I left the door ajar.

"Sookie" The smile on his face made it obvious he wasn't expecting me. "I didn't know you were here during the daytime. I missed you yesterday."

I had no idea how he could be so open like that. He said he missed me, as if it was nothing to miss someone you had just met.

"I had the day off and my schedule is always changing. Sometimes I'm here nights and others during the day." I explained and Eric seemed to be hanging on my every word, absorbing any tiny fact I told him.

"Would you like to take a walk outside? I'm sure you're sick of being in this room everyday." Eric was free to go to our common rooms as well. One had a piano and large windows that you could see the garden through. But from what I could tell he hadn't moved from 214.

"Okay, you're coming with me?"

"Of course" I smiled and led the way out of his room. It was hospital policy to not let our patients go outside on their own. They had to be with family or a staff member. I insisted to myself that's why I was going with him.

I found Eric a pair of slippers that would fit him and we made our way outside. When we stepped onto the back patio he paused. I shut the door behind us and he was still standing there, staring up at the sky again. I had no idea what his fascination was with the sky.

"I miss the sunlight" There was a pained expression on his face. It made me want to hug him.

"Well it's only been a couple days. I'll make sure someone comes outside with you everyday from now on." He was much more active than our other patients. Most of them were elderly. Eric definitely needed time outside his room and outdoors if that was what made him happy. We didn't need him getting depressed and sitting in bed all day long.

"I suppose" He seemed confused and unsure as he responded. "It seems like so much longer than that."

I didn't know what to say so I started leading the way down the path to the garden. Eric followed closely, his arm brushing against mine with each step we took. I tried very hard not to stare at him too much. But I'm damn sure I failed. The sunlight made his dirty blonde hair look golden and his eyes seemed brighter.

"This is nice" His voice was calm and almost a whisper. It was something I was getting used to around him.

"It is, I really like the garden. It's my favorite spot on the property." I sat down on a small bench near an old oak tree surrounded by rose bushes. Eric took the spot next to me. He made me look like a tiny elf sitting next to him.

"The garden is nice. But I was talking about you. I like when you're around." His expression still seemed slightly unsure, as if he lacked the confidence a man his age would normally posses. I suppose having no memories would do that to you.

"Oh…. Thanks" What else could I say? I think you're fascinating and devastatingly handsome? Nope, that would get me fired.

"You're different than everyone else." I wanted to tell him so was he. That his mind was the only one I couldn't read. But I had no idea if I could trust him.

"Sometimes that's not always a good thing. Being different…" I handled myself well enough now. I used my ability to try and help with my work rather than fight it. However it kept me at a distance from most people and definitely forced me to have no love life. I had one serious boyfriend my freshman year of college. His name was JB and it only lasted as long as it did because he barely had any thoughts. The ones he did have were basic, like being hungry, wanting to watch tv, things like that. We slept together once because I thought I'd be able to handle it. Apparently I couldn't because even though JB cared about me hearing his thoughts through the entire process of losing my virginity was just downright wrong. Hearing _ I wish she'd relax more. _Or any form of 'I wish she'd do this or that' made the experience worse than normal.

I broke up with him the following day. I knew I was never in love with him but for a long time I thought he might be the only man I could make it work with. By now I had given up on love. I wouldn't have a husband due to my telepathy. Yet I found myself daydreaming about the silent minded blonde giant quite often.

"I think it is. You're unique and kind. Everyone else here treats me the same as the crazy eighty year old man in 202." Eric frowned. "Or they treat me like I'm a child. I might be a little lost but I am still a grown man."

I could admire his honesty and desire to live, and not just accept life as a patient at the hospital.

"I think they just don't know the best way to help you. We're used to crazy old men in wheelchairs, not a young guy who seems to have it altogether. Well… almost." I smiled softly at him.

"What do you do when you're not here?" Eric changed the subject and looked up at the sun filtering through the leaves of the oak tree. His floppy blonde hair fell back from his forehead slightly. I wondered if he always wore his hair like that. It gave him this boyish charm and I thought it was cute.

"I take care of my house in Bon Temps, care for the small garden I have, and usually I'll read a book when I get home at night." There honestly wasn't too much time for hobbies with my work schedule.

Eric nodded. "I wonder if I like reading…"

"There are some books in the common room, you should take a couple when we head back inside. Who knows maybe you're an author and write intense mystery novels." I couldn't imagine not knowing my own interests.

"I must be a pilot who is also a writer." He smiled, pulling from my comment before about his flying dream.

"Sounds like a pretty good life to me." I stood up again and Eric followed suit. We headed back up the path towards the main building.

"Are you here tomorrow?" Eric asked as we neared the doors.

"Yep, I'll be here the same time tomorrow."

"Will you come for a walk with me again?" He was so god damn hopeful looking. I don't know how he managed to pull it off. Maybe it was the boyish haircut.

"Of course. And you can let me know how reading goes." I led Eric back to his room and he had a couple books in his large hands. Once he was settled in I headed to the front desk to get some work done. The only thought I caught from Kennedy was her wondering why I was smiling so much.

**a/n: so, now you know for sure Eric was out in the sunlight... and a few other key things were mentioned. Let's see if you guys caught them! Review, review, review please!**


	4. Chapter 4

**a/n: I hope everyone had a good holiday! I'll try to write some more for this but I can't promise a post before new year's. However if work stays slow like it has been, then I'll be able to write more. So lets all hope my work remains super boring!**

**Chapter 4**

Over the next week I spent every spare second at work with Eric. He never improved when it came to his memories. He just kept having these weird and extremely vivid dreams. However none of them made a lick of sense. On our afternoon strolls through the garden he would tell me about them. One time he and Pam were digging a hole in the forest when the sun started to rise. He said the rays felt like fire on his skin then he woke up in a cold sweat. Another time he was flying again but when he landed it was the 1920s and he owned a speakeasy. Oddly a lot of them involved flying and different historical periods. I even looked a few of them up and he always had his facts straight. The only conclusion I could come to was that he was a history buff in his normal life.

We discovered Eric did enjoy reading along with playing chess, being in the sunlight, and he could play the piano. I became his go-to person and probably his best friend in all of this. Pam had yet to show up again and help her brother out. I found it quite saddening she left him alone like this. I enjoyed every second of time I spent with him. His quiet mind was peaceful and I got to experience having a normal friend for the first time.

This evening it was rainy out. It had been stormy and gross all day so Eric and I hadn't gone for our usual walk. The light was just starting to fade outside and I could hear the rain pattering against the roof of the building. I was finishing up some filing when Octavia stopped to speak with me.

"Sookie, I think we should talk." Her voice was serious and I started to worry. Was this going to be a speech about me being unprofessional? Spending too much time with one patient? Shit.

"Okay" I got up and followed her to the small room we normally did interviews in. It was also the room she fired people in. Crap, crap, crap!

"Take a seat" She gestured towards the one across from her and I reluctantly sat down.

"What's this about?" I finally gave in for once and let down the shield I always had around my mind.

_Dangerous. He's dangerous and you don't even know it. I have to protect her._

I heard the thoughts in her head and tried to not let it show in my expression. Who was dangerous? Everyone in this building was harmless.

"I wanted to speak with you about something, well more like someone." The expression in her old brown eyes was grave.

I just nodded for her to continue.

"You seem to care about Eric. I know you're a good nurse Sookie but you shouldn't let yourself feel any emotional connection to him. He's a patient just like the rest." _Not exactly like them, but she doesn't need to know that. She just needs to stay away._

Her thoughts were not lining up with her words.

"I know that. I haven't done anything wrong, I'd take the other patients for walks during the day but most of them can't handle being out of bed that long." Okay so I definitely favored him, but I wasn't going to just let her fire me. It's not like I was sneaking him out for romantic outings. Geez.

"I know..." She shook her head and looked down at the table. "Just keep your distance from him Sookie. Please."

"What are you talking about? This doesn't sound as simple as me favoring a patient. You're making it sound like he's dangerous." That was impossible. Eric was the quietest and kindest man I had ever met.

Octavia gave me a stern look. "Maybe I am. Maybe you ought to consider it."

With that she walked out of the room leaving me alone with my thoughts. What the hell was that? I sat there trying to process the very strange conversation I just had. Octavia was being awfully cryptic and it was obvious she did not want to tell me everything. So I doubted running after her with questions would help much right now. Was Eric a bad person in his normal life? Was he a serial killer?

No, I would have heard about it on the news if there was some local killer. I guess it was possible he had a criminal record. What if he had murdered someone? Raped someone? I shook my head. That was impossible. He was so gentle and almost timid at times. There was no way Eric was some psychopath. I hoped…

My mind was still spinning in a million directions as I made my way to his room. I had not really spent any time with him today due to the poor weather. As always when I entered the room Eric was looking out his window. Except today it was pouring outside and rain droplets ran in rivers down the glass.

"You're still here" He smiled and motioned for me to sit down next to him. I probably shouldn't sit next to him on his bed. That was unprofessional and I was wondering if he was secretly a criminal and didn't remember it.

"I'm glad you could visit me." His expression was the same as it always was. His blue eyes were full of happiness at seeing me and it seemed impossible to imagine a lick of anger ever crossing his face.

Of course I caved and sat down next to him.

"It's too bad it's raining outside. I always hate dreary weather." I sighed and decided to blame my somewhat sour mood on the rain. Except he had no idea I was fine until a few minutes ago.

"I don't know if I like it or not. I can't remember ever being out in a storm." He seemed saddened by that.

"It's no fun. Just open the window and you'll see." I said sarcastically.

The only problem was Eric did not get my sarcasm. He stood right up and opened the window all the way. The sound of the rain outside became louder without the glass blocking it and the humid air from outside swept into the room.

"I wasn't serious!" I jumped up to shut the window and a gust of wind came. It sent sheets of rain into the room and I could feel my face was drenched. After some struggling I managed to shut the window again. The wind was howling outside.

"You could have helped shut the window, being a giant and all." I turned to face him and he was just staring at me. It wasn't the creepy or rude kind of stare though. It was one of those rare moments when someone was looking at you so intensely you could swear they were seeing all of you.

Eric reached out and his thumb brushed away some of the water dripping down my cheek. I just stood there frozen. Somewhere in the corner of my mind I remembered Octavia's warning. I also recalled the fact that he was my patient. But none of that seemed to matter when he closed the distance between us and kissed me.

It felt like someone had set me on fire and any chills the rain had brought were quickly erased by his lips on mine. One of his hands was holding the side of my face and the other moved around my back to pull me closer. This was wrong, wasn't it? I let my hands run up his perfect chest and up to his neck where I could feel the rain on his warm skin. It certainly felt right.

There was a clap of thunder outside and I suddenly came to my senses. I pulled away from him and took a few steps back.

"I-" What the hell do I do now?! I just fucking kissed a patient! "have to go."

I darted out of the room before Eric could say a word. Then I went and hid in the empty lunch room for awhile trying to figure out what the hell I was doing.

**a/n: so I guess Eric isn't so shy after all eh? Please review!**


	5. Chapter 5

**a/n: work was slow as hell, so I wrote another two chapters at my desk. I know bad employee! =P I also didn't spell check because I'm on my way out to a party soon. Happy new year all!**

**Chapter 5**

Am I crazy? I think I am. Who the hell kisses someone who lost their memory and is also their patient? I was getting fired or going to hell for this. I also felt bad for just leaving Eric standing there. I couldn't blame him for his actions. He had no memory to speak of and right now I was the closest friend he had. I should have been the one to step back immediately. But stupid me and my lack of self-control. Well, I only seem to lack self-control around him. In every other aspect of my life it had never been a problem. But Eric just does something to me. He gets my head all twisted around until I have no clue why I shouldn't be spending extra time with him in the first place. He's also an amazing kisser...

_Stop! _ I needed to clear my head. I walked past the front desk and Octavia was still there. I clearly remembered our conversation from earlier. She did not want me near Eric and I just went and did the opposite.

Once I reached the door I stepped outside for a few minutes. There was a small overhang on the roof that sheltered me from the rain. I breathed in the damp summer air and tried to calm down. I doubted Eric would tell anyone what happened and I would put a stop to it now. Therefore my job should be safe and life could return to normal. I just had to explain this to him in a nice way. How was I supposed to say that even though I was insanely attracted to him, things could never happen like that again? It felt a bit like treating him like a child, telling him what was allowed.

I sighed with frustration and headed back inside. Octavia was packing up her things to my surprise.

"Where are you going?" She was supposed to be working the evening shift with me.

"I just got a call from my daughter, she was in a car accident." She packed up her bags and was already hustling to leave.

"Oh my god, I'm so sorry. Is she okay?" I hoped it wasn't anything life threatening.

"I don't know yet, I just know she's in the hospital."

"Ok, well call if you need anything. I'm sure Amelia can pick anything up at your house that she might need tonight." I couldn't offer my own services since I would be at work alone.

Octavia nodded and with that she was out the door. I leaned back against the nearest wall. I wanted to collapse from emotional overload. Then I heard feet padding down the hall and looked up to see Eric coming towards me. He looked concerned.

"Where did your boss go?" I knew he knew her name. But they both seemed to dislike each other. I think Eric only disliked Octavia because he could tell she was wary of him.

"Um, her daughter had an accident, she had to go to the hospital." I felt awkward around him now.

"What are you doing out here?" He was not supposed to be wandering about the building at this hour. It was 8PM by now which meant visiting hours were over and everyone should be settled into their rooms.

"I heard all the commotion. I was curious." He shrugged.

I felt like I owed him an explanation. "Eric listen-"

"No" Well that was abrupt coming from him.

"What? You don't even know what I was going to say." I started heading towards the front desk.

"You were going to say something about before, how you shouldn't have kissed me." Eric was not beating around the bush. "I won't agree with you. I might not remember everything but I can still make my own choices. "

This was crazy! "What if you're actually married? Have kids? Plus I'm you're nurse. I'm not supposed to be kissing my patients Eric. This is complicated."

"Don't you think my wife would have visited me if I had one? Or my children?" Okay he kind of had me there... that was logical.

"That doesn't change the fact the you're a patient here." I was supposed to take care of him and help him heal. End of story.

"I don't care." His eyes were so intense and I realized he had stepped closer during our exchange.

His hand reached for mine and the dim mumble of patients' thoughts completely faded from my mind. It was effortlessly quiet. I wanted to wrap myself up in him and never have to fight for such a simple thing again. However that was just unrealistic.

Eric was still standing dangerously close to me. Should I push him away? Yes. Did I want to? Hell no.

For the first time in a very long time I did not think about what was right or wrong. I thought about what I wanted. So I grabbed the front of his t-shirt and pulled him down to kiss me. Eric did not fight me for a second. Instead he pushed me back against the desk while his lips crashed against mine. I heard some papers fall to the floor and then he picked me up and set me on top of the desk. My legs automatically wrapped around his waist meanwhile my hands were under his t-shirt. His back was just as smooth as it looked that night I found him outside. I could feel his muscles moving beneath his hot skin and started to wonder how bad of an idea it was to just tear his shirt off.

His tongue slid into my mouth and I was done for. I completely gave up on any thoughts of restraint and being logical. One of his hands was tangled in my hair then moved slowly down my side, leaving goose bumps in its wake.

Then I heard screaming.

"Shit" I pushed Eric back enough so I could hop off the desk. Then I made a beeline towards the end of the hall where the yelling was coming from. I could hear him following behind me.

"God damn it! These god damn Yankees keepin' me awake!" I sighed with relief when I saw Mr. Spencer sitting up in bed. He was perfectly fine and there was no one in sight. He was just very upset about another hallucination. I dipped into his mind to try and be sure but it was impossible. His mind was always hazy and his memories broken up into confusing bits. It made me sure he had the dementia the doctors described.

Without being told Eric went back to his room, knowing there was nothing he could do here.

"Mr. Spencer please calm down." It was just going to take a bit for him to unwind.

"You didn't see 'em? They was out there, I'm telling you! Three of 'em walked by my window!" He had also informed me on two occasions that a hooker came into his room and tried to seduce him.

It took awhile but I calmed him down and settled him into bed again. Mr. Spencer would probably forget about all of this nonsense in the morning. I headed back to the front desk and discovered Eric had cleaned up the papers. They all looked neater than before and carefully placed in stacks to the right of the computer. The door to his room was shut but I doubted he was sleeping.

I quickly checked to see if anyone called but there was nothing. I hoped Octavia was okay. I sat down at the computer quickly and decided to do some snooping. After typing in Eric's full name I googled him. Nothing came up for an Eric Northman though. That meant little since you could search my name and nothing would show up. I had no Facebook account so Sookie Stackhouse wouldn't be showing up too easily on the internet. Oh well... it was just an idea to try and find out more about him. I didn't really expect it to pan out.

I wanted to go see Eric again but I got caught up in work. Octavia ended up calling and then Amelia stopped by to pick up some things to bring to her. Her daughter was okay just shaken up and being kept overnight to be on the safe side. Then it was the end of my shift and I was updating Kennedy as she took the computer chair and got out a magazine.

I was tired but my eyes kept straying to the closed door of room 214. I wanted to say bye to him but that would come across as unusual. I never went and said goodbye to my other patients before leaving. With a sigh I grabbed my purse and headed for the door. I had work tomorrow so I would see Eric then.

When I arrived home Iate that night I was still stewing over everything. In one night I received a warning from Octavia, kissed Eric, then went and kissed him again. To top it off I didn't even feel sorry for it. That kind of freaked me out. I was used to following the rules and for the most part agreeing they were right. Yet remembering the feeling of Eric's lips had me forgetting any eerie feelings Octavia might have stirred up. Of course I was still curious about who he was but I was not afraid of him. I don't think it's possible to be afraid of Eric Northman. I could picture him not wanting to kill a bee then taking the time to catch and release it outside. How could Octavia think he was dangerous?

I went to bed and my dreams consisted of Eric and very little clothing. When I woke up in the morning it took me a few seconds to realize it wasn't real and then I just felt disappointed. I headed into the kitchen and Jason was sitting at the table eating. He still treated the house as Gran's and just came in when he pleased. I didn't mind too much. We both grew up here so I didn't expect him to suddenly feel like he had to knock on the door. As long as he did not come barging into my bedroom we were fine.

"Morning Sook" He shoved a spoonful of Lucky Charms into his mouth. Yes sometimes I wanted to eat kid's cereal and be eleven again. Jason did it everyday though. I don't think he knows how to buy cereal that doesn't have a cartoon character on the box.

"Hey" Ah he made coffee! I quickly poured myself some. "You off to work soon?"

"Yep I gotta meet Hoyt. His truck broke down so I'm giving him a ride. You know he still wants to ask you out right?" Normally Jason did not want me going on any dates. But Hoyt was one of his best friends and also one of the nicest guys either of us knew.

"I know, but... I just don't see him that way." I shrugged and hoped Jason would be off to work soon. Hoyt was sweet and cute but once again I could hear his thoughts. That made him not an option.

"Sure you don't even wanna give him a chance? You're not seeing anyone right?"

"Well... no..." Technically nothing was going on with Eric. We kissed twice. Maybe when you're twelve that makes someone your boyfriend but not when you're an adult.

"Wait a minute... who are you seeing?" Now Jason was quite interested in the conversation. He even put down his spoon.

"No one Jay, I'm just not interested in dating right now." I was not telling him that I kissed a patient who had zero memories, and I thought he was insanely hot.

"Alright, alright." Jason stood up to clear his things and put his bowl in the sink. "You know I'm just trying to help right? I know you want kids, a husband, all that stuff..."

"I know and I think it's nice you care." I gave him a quick hug and then he was out the door. Sometimes my big brother was immature and an idiot. But he had his good moments, he really had grown up since we lost Gran.

I spent the rest of the day cleaning the house and then stopped by the hospital to visit Octavia and her daughter. Everything was fine it seemed but she was calling out of work tonight to stay with her family. That was fine by me. I didn't feel like listening to anymore cryptic warnings. Once evening rolled around I got my things together and headed off to work.

**a/n: so my version of Jason is a bit nicer than the books. I really dislike how irresponsible he is and how he tends to be so selfish. so my version of Jason used to be that way, but is finally growing up some and making an effort.**


	6. Chapter 6

**a/n: thanks for all of the reviews, you guys are awesome! and the follows! I can't believe how many people are following this already!**

**Chapter 6**

When I arrived at the hospital I waved to Amelia. Then I immediately went to check on Eric. I was shocked to find a tall blonde woman standing in his room. She had this eternally pissed look on her face and was wearing four inch heels I doubted were necessary for a hospital visit.

"Have you checked in?" I opened the door and Eric's eyes darted to me. I could swear he looked frightened.

"No" She just gave me a blank stare. What was her problem?

"Okay... well you need to check in before visiting, are you Eric's sister?" She had to be. I had not gotten a very good look at her the last time she was here.

"Yes, I am. So I think I have the right to visit whenever I please." Her hand was on her hip as if she was daring me to challenge her.

During this exchange Eric had stood up from his bed and inched closer to me. Until eventually he was standing behind me like he was trying to hide. I don't think hiding behind a 5'4" woman was going to work very well for him. His sister was watching us and analyzing our every move. It almost made me think she knew something happened between us. No, I was just being crazy.

"I understand that, but it's hospital policy to just give your name at the front desk..." I didn't remember her name. Crap.

"Pam" She did not look like a Pam. The name seemed too bland for her. "I'm trying to explain to Eric that he doesn't have to stay in this shithole anymore."

My heartbeat raced. She was taking him away? Before I thought she was a terrible sister for leaving him here. But now I just wanted him to be around. "Oh..."

"But he's being stubborn." Pam seemed to have zero patience. No wonder Eric was freaked out, didn't she understand that he had no idea who she was? She left him here for almost two weeks so now this was the only life he knew.

"I want to stay with you." I felt Eric's lips brush against my ear as he whispered from his spot behind me. He was close enough I could feel his chest against my back.

I wanted him to stay.

"Fine, I guess it doesn't matter. I just thought you might want to be closer to your family." Pam spat at him. I felt Eric flinch behind me. "Octavia is still running things correct?"

I just nodded. At this point she seemed pissed and maybe a tad jealous that Eric just said he wanted to stay with me.

"Good. I'll check in then." She turned on her high heels to leave but paused at the door. Her eyes darted down to my name tag. "And Sookie? You better take care of him. Don't fuck up." Then she was gone. She walked damn fast for being in high heels.

"Are you okay?" I turned to face Eric.

He nodded but still seemed a bit shaken up. His sibling was nothing like him. She was domineering and overwhelming to be around.

"Sit down" I took up the spot next to him on his bed. "What did she say to you?"

"She wanted me to leave with her. She said there was somewhere safe now. When I said no she got mad and started talking about how I should want to be with my family. That they could protect me." His expression was one of confusion and his blue eyes landed on me for answers.

"Why would she need to protect you? Is someone after you?" I knew he had no idea but it was just habit to ask.

Eric shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know."

"Well you're safe here for now." I reached over and squeezed his hand. He moved his hand so our fingers were interlaced. I wished I could help him get his memories back. But his mind was like a blank spot so not even my telepathy could help him.

A couple hours later I had left Eric in his room. Amelia had pestered me with questions about his sister and why I had been in his room so long. She had her suspicions about Eric and I. She definitely thought I had a crush on him but for now that was the extent of her thoughts. She also thought it was pretty normal for me to be attracted to him since she wouldn't mind _'sucking on him like a popsicle'_. Those were her exact thoughts not mine. At least my friend thought I had some self restraint and was remaining professional.

I let her believe that.

I was walking down the hall to make sure the back door was locked for the night, when a pale arm reach out and grabbed me. I was pulled into the supply closet and as soon as I started to struggle a large hand covered my mouth, muffling any scream I might attempt. It was pitch black and my heart was racing. Shit, who the hell was this?!

"Shhh..." Then the chain was pulled to illuminate the bare light bulb in the closet. The dim yellow glow illuminated Eric's face and there was a small smirk on his lips. He pulled his hand away from my mouth. "It's just me."

"Jesus Christ Eric!" I whisper yelled. "What are you doing to me?!" He kidnapped me in the damn supply closet and scared the shit out of me.

"Hopefully something dirty?" He said it without complete confidence and there was a questioning tone in his voice. How in hell did he make those words sound cute?

It was obvious I was still frustrated and pissed off about him scaring me like that.

"I just wanted to see you. I always have to wait for you to come to me. I got tired of waiting." That was true. He only saw me when I came to his room pretending to check on him or give him Tylenol for a headache, or when I picked him up to go for a walk outside.

I probably should still be mad but my mind quickly thought about how much time we had. I was supposed to be locking up the back door. Amelia would expect me back in ten minutes. Eric noticed my change in mood. He didn't waste anytime and pulled me closer.

The unfortunate thing about the supply closet was there was very limited room to work with. Also the walls were covered in shelves full of supplies, so there would be no throwing anyone against the wall. It was okay though. I could settle for just kissing him. I liked Eric and it was not just because his brain was silent. He was kind, gentle, interesting, and of course gorgeous.

My teeth tugged at his bottom lip and I could feel the quiet growl vibrating in his chest. Eric moved until my back was against the shelves. I wished we were back at the desk. I definitely didn't mind him picking me up as he pleased. Then his hands slid under my shirt and I wanted more. The feeling of skin on skin was perfect. I reached forward and tugged his t-shirt up as much as I could. Eric paused long enough to pull it over his head and let it drop to the floor. There was a small grin on his face and I couldn't help but smile back. I felt like a teenager hiding out in a damn closet.

His lips were on mine again instantly. Those huge hands of his were on either side of my face then slowly moved down my shoulders, brushing the sides of my breasts before settling on my hips. I took advantage of his half naked state and let my hands roam. God damn, he must work out a lot… or used to. My hands traveled down his pecs and to his abs. He was absolutely perfect, in shape but not looking like a gorilla from that stupid Jersey Shore show.

I was starting to get out of breath so he moved to my neck. My fingers tangled into his hair and when he started sucking on my skin I couldn't suppress the moan that escaped my lips. Then there was a knock at the door.

Fuck.

"Shit" I looked up at Eric who seemed just as surprised. I didn't know how long we had been here. Both of us were quite caught up in the moment.

"Who is it?" He whispered and we both waited to see if the person was still there.

"Um, Sook?" It was Amelia. Crap, crap, crap!

"Just a sec Ames! I'm just grabbing the mop!" I yelled through the door. She would know it was a complete lie.

"…okay…. Meet me at the front desk when you're done." She said and then her footsteps faded down the hallway.

I sighed and leaned back against the shelves Eric had pushed me into. "She knows" I ran my hands over my face. This was not good.

"She's your friend right?" Eric picked up his shirt and put it back on. That was unfortunate.

"Yes"

"Can't she keep a secret?" Eric had too much faith in people. I know Amelia would never bust us, but he did not know her well enough to determine that.

"We better hope so. Otherwise Octavia might fire me." I turned to leave but Eric stopped me.

"I'm sorry Sookie. I didn't mean to put you in this position. I just…. I want to be near you, I can't help it." He was sincere and I never would have doubted that. If Octavia did not hate him so much it probably wouldn't be such a big deal. But her desire to keep me away from Eric might result in me losing my job.

"I know. Lets not worry about it, maybe Amelia will be fine with all of this. Who knows." I left the supply closet and Eric waited a few minutes before returning to his room.

I found Amelia at the front desk. She looked anxious.

"Sookie, what the hell?" Amelia was waving her hands around while she spoke. "Are you crazy? He's a patient!"

"I know, I know!" I didn't need to be yelled at.

"I could tell you were attracted to him but geez, you can't act on it. He's not some guy you met at a bar." Amelia had plenty of random hook ups and one night stands. It was irritating to have her lecturing me.

"I'm not stupid. I thought about all of that. It just happened though, I didn't plan this." I collapsed in the computer chair. Amelia seemed to realize I was stressed out and wasn't taking this lightly.

"Sookie you know I'm the first person to say sometimes rules should be broken." Her voice has softened some. "I just don't want to see you get hurt, or your career, for some guy who might leave you to go live his real life once he remembers it."

It hurt to hear it said that way. But I reminded myself Eric probably had no wife or kids. They would have come to see him or called by now. There was a chance that once he remembered who he was who wouldn't care about me. Especially if he was some big shot lawyer or something similar. He would return to his luxurious city life and lose interest in the small town nurse. I had considered that already. But sometimes you had to take chances right? Life would be nothing if you never took a risk.

"I know you care Ames. I thought about all of this a lot. But I like Eric. He's different from other guys and I could just spend hours talking to him about anything." I stared down at the desk, my voice quiet. "And I can't hear him. He's the only one I can't hear."

Amelia knew about my telepathy. Once we had become close friends I confessed because I wanted her to be able to be careful about her thoughts around me. Most of the time it was not an issue because Amelia said what was on her mind.

"Oh… " She looked thoughtful then a smile spread over her face. "Well he must be good judging by the sounds you were making."

"Shut up!" I slapped her shoulder and laughed. I guess Amelia was on our side now. This might work out for the best seeing as I wouldn't have to sneak around when I was working with her.

**a/n: I have the next two chapters written, so the more you review, the faster you'll see them! *insert evil laugh here***


	7. Chapter 7

**a/n: since you guys are being so epic with your reviews, you shall be gifted with another chapter! =) I think the overall consensus from the reviews was that everyone wanted their own supply closet with an ASkars locked inside. Hahaha, who wouldn't! **

**Chapter 7**

As time passed Eric had been with us for a full month. It felt like I had known him for much longer than that. Now that Amelia was in on our secret I got to spend more time with him. I still had no plan of where this was going but I did my best to live in the moment. We spent hours outside on sunny days. The air was starting to cool down with fall just around the corner. But we could still get away with pants and short sleeve shirts. Eric slowly discovered he knew how to play numerous songs on the piano. I could spend all day watching him play and listening to the relaxing melodies. A couple times I did just that.

We also discovered Eric loved soda. Seriously he had an addiction. The hospital never handed out soda to its patients. It was too unhealthy a beverage to be giving out with meals. However there was a vending machine for employees with sodas and juices. I bought a coke one afternoon and shared it with Eric. At first he looked confused by the bubbly sensation then he realized he liked it. Since that day whenever I have a soda he ends up stealing half of it. Sometimes I'm even nice enough to buy one just for him.

His sister Pam has only come back one more time since I found her in Eric's room. She was just as grouchy as ever. I found her whispering to Octavia about something then she abruptly left. I've tried talking to Octavia about Eric a few times but she always gets closed off and just warns me to be careful.

That afternoon I walked into the lunch room and headed to the vending machine. I was craving a Sprite and figured I'd buy a coke for Eric. Drinking water and juice had to be sickening since that's all that comes with the hospital lunch. He hated coffee so that wasn't an option. Eric only tried it once with about ten sugars in it and he grimaced like he swallowed acid.

"Sookie?" I recognized Octavia's voice immediately.

"Yeah?" I popped a few coins into the machine and pushed the right button.

"Can we talk?" She seemed anxious and I doubted this conversation would go anywhere.

"Okay" I grabbed the two sodas from the bottom of the vending machine and sat down at one of the lunch tables with her.

"I'm sorry for being so secretive lately. I feel like we usually have a better relationship than that." She seemed sad. I was too because honestly I thought we had a better working relationship.

"Me too. I'm not trying to be a pest, I'm just trying to figure out what is going on." I was not going to tell her exactly why I was so curious about Eric. She still had no idea I was sort of dating my patient.

"I've wanted to be honest with you. But I promised someone I would keep quiet about Eric."

"Who? What are you keeping quiet about?" She was making me nervous.

"His sister" Her voice was low, as if someone might be watching. "Remember I told you he was dangerous? That is very true Sookie. Eric and his sister have a pretty dark past. I thought warning you once would be enough but I can see you're fond of him. You have to be careful Sookie. I don't want to see you hurt."

Octavia's expression was morbid. She was not joking around and she definitely knew much more about Eric than she let on.

"How do you know all of this?" Did she know who he really was?

"I can't tell you that. It would put you in a bad spot. Just trust me, please." She was practically begging me now. Her brown eyes were pleading.

Amelia called for Octavia to look at some paperwork and that ended the conversation. Her first warning got me thinking but this sit down seemed different. It brought my caution to a whole new level. Before I had tried to brush it off. But if she was this serious and secretive about Eric something terrible had to be in his past. I stared at the two sodas sitting on the lunch table in front of me. One was for Eric. The guy who might be a serial killer or some type of psycho.

I got up to bring the soda to his room. He still had no memories so there was no one to fear right now. I could hear Amelia down the hall trying to quiet down Mr. Spencer. He was getting very persistent about seeing 'yankees' outside his window. I prayed he would find peace soon. As I wandered down the hall I debated dipping into Octavia's mind. Why hadn't I already? I told myself it was to be polite but deep down I was scared of what I might find. Spending time with Eric meant so much to me and I was afraid to lose it once I found out what his past might consist of.

When I was just outside of Eric's room I heard the sounds of thrashing and banging from inside. I looked through the small window on his door and spotted Eric fighting with some strange man. What the hell was going on?!

"Hey! Stop it!" I yelled and swung the door open.

Both men paused and looked my way. Then the stranger punched Eric right in the nose. The brawl started again and I noticed Eric could definitely defend himself. The strange man was a few inches shorter than Eric but burly and aggressive. His shaggy brown hair looked dirty and his bright eyes did not seem to match his complexion. They were a tad too golden for someone with brown hair and fair skin. Eric got a good shot to his stomach then the man snarled and ran at him. He slammed Eric into the window and I heard the glass shatter, shortly followed by Eric's scream of pain.

The guy had Eric by his shirt and was repeatedly smashing him against the window which shattered. I had to do something, I had to stop him. Frantically I looked around the room then found a sharp piece of glass that had landed near the bed. I picked it up and with a shaking hand I ran over and plunged it into the guy's shoulder. He reacted but not enough so I twisted it in his flesh. He growled at me and turned around.

Uh-oh, now psycho with the yellow eyes was facing me and full of rage. I had no weapon since the glass was still jammed into his back.

"dumb bitch" He snarled and I took a step back.

He started to lunge towards me but Eric pushed himself off the wall and tackled him just in time. Then I heard more yelling and Octavia showed up with Amelia.

_Holy shit, what the fuck?!_ Amelia's thoughts were screaming in my brain. I was not focused enough to keep any shield up. Octavia's thoughts were strangely in another language. They were calm and consistent as she seemed to repeat the same few sentences. When I looked at her I noticed her lips were moving slightly. She was whispering. Was she praying?

This all happened in seconds and when I looked back the man had Eric pinned under him. Then he looked up at all of us, and took off by jumping out the broken window. I assumed the amount of onlookers scared him off. He probably figured someone called the cops already. I don't know if Amelia did, I sure as hell had not had the time.

"Ames, call the police!" I yelled and knelt beside Eric.

She nodded and took off down the hall.

"Eric? Are you okay?" He was far from okay but I just wanted to hear his voice. His face was bruised and his nose was bleeding.

"I'll be alright" He started to push himself up off the floor and winced. Once he was sitting I could see blood seeping through the back of his white shirt in numerous patches. The glass from the window cut his back up pretty badly.

"I'll get something to clean him up." Octavia quietly left.

"come here" I got Eric settled on his bed so I could kneel behind him and inspect the damage. I very slowly peeled his shirt off and saw him tense up as the fabric pulled at his cuts.

"How bad is it?" He turned his head enough to look at me over his shoulder.

"It will be painful, but it'll heal. I don't think you'll need stitches." There were about ten cuts on his back. Some were deeper than others but none were longer than two inches. It looked like everything was shallow enough to heal on its own and scab over. Eric would just be uncomfortable for awhile.

"Here you go, I'm going to call his sister and let her know." Octavia dropped off a first aid kit since I wouldn't need much more than that.

I nodded and got to work. I carefully made sure all of the glass was out. Eric was not too happy when I had to pick out a few shards from his skin. I disinfected all of his injuries and patched him up with gauze and tape since most of the cuts were still bleeding.

"I'm sorry" His voice was hoarse and barely a whisper.

"Why?" I wiped away the last of the blood on his face.

"You almost got hurt." It was like he was blaming himself for that guy turning on me.

"It's not your fault someone attacked you, I was the one who chose to jump in." Maybe Eric did do something to that guy, I don't know. But right now he had no memory of it so there was no use in blaming him.

"I know but I don't want to bring you trouble. Thank you for helping me." His blue eyes watched me with remorse.

"I wasn't going to stand by and watch him hurt you." This incident was most likely not a random attack. It seemed like the target was Eric. Maybe this was the troubled past Octavia warned me about.

"It might be more comfortable to leave your shirt off for tonight. So it's not pulling at your bandages." I stepped back realized the two sodas were sitting on the nightstand. I probably dropped them on the floor, Octavia must had put them there. "I got you something" I grabbed the bottle of coke and handed it over.

Eric smiled and untwisted the cap. It made that fizzing sound as some of the carbonation escaped. "Best sound in the world" He grinned and took a huge gulp. Moments like this made me wonder how he could ever be involved in anything bad.

Hours later after the cops came and questioned us, Pam showed up and freaked out on Octavia. She started spewing some shit about how she was supposed to watching out for him. I don't know why she was so mad at us instead of the psycho stranger. After that she said she was getting Eric and taking him somewhere safe.

I rushed to the new room we had put him in and told Eric the news. He was not happy. Neither was I. I did not know how much time I had left with him.

"I don't want to leave with her." He insisted.

"I don't want you to go either. But who knows maybe she can keep you safe. Pam knows who you really are, maybe she knows why you were attacked tonight." I could not beg him to stay. What if being here put his life at risk? Pam might know enough to keep him from getting hurt again. I was not going to be selfish.

I grabbed a piece of paper and jotted down my information. "Here"

"What's this?" Eric held the paper and looked confused.

"It's my name and phone number. If your life gets back to normal and you still want to contact me you can. " I did not know what else to do.

Eric nodded then folded the paper and put it into his pocket. He still had on pajama pants the hospital gave him. Then he stepped forward and wrapped his arms around me. I collapsed into his embrace, burying my face in his chest. I never wanted him to leave. He was the guy I had been waiting for my entire life. Even if I could hear his thoughts I'm sure I'd still want him.

"Lets go" Pam was at the door now.

I guess I didn't even get to kiss him goodbye. Pam was right there and so was Octavia.

"Bye Eric" I looked up at him with misty eyes.

"This isn't goodbye." He whispered with determination. Then he gave me the most toe-curling kiss I've ever experienced in my life. Eric didn't let me go until Pam started clearing her throat and tapping her expensive heels behind us.

He squeezed my hand one last time before following Pam out the door. I watched silently as they walked down the hall. Eric kept glancing back at me with this angst ridden look in his eyes. Eventually they reached the end of the hall and disappeared out the door.

I know he said this wasn't goodbye but it sure as hell felt like it. I doubted I would ever hear or see from him again. His sister would take him back to his real life. I felt a hand on my shoulder and looked over at Octavia.

"I'm sorry Sookie, but I think this is for the best." She felt bad enough for me to not even be mad about that kiss.

**a/n: there you have it folks, so old Spencer wasn't just seeing things for once. There is definitely someone creeping around the hospital. as for everything else... well, yall will have to wait until chapter 8! oh and as always please review/follow!**


	8. Chapter 8

**a/n: on to the next chapter! thanks for reviewing guys! **

**Chapter 8**

It had been three days since Pam took Eric out of the hospital. I knew he did not really need to be here. It was actually a bit strange she left her brother here for so long. However I found I missed him, even more than I thought I would. It felt like a piece of my life was missing. When I had gone to work yesterday it felt empty and I wandered around aimlessly once I finished my tasks for the day.

Today I had the day off and it was not much better. Even though I was at home my mind still wandered to Eric every five minutes. Where was he? Was Pam treating him well? Did he remember his life? Did he forget me?

There was a knock on the door and I got off the couch to answer it. I swung the door open and Jason was standing there.

"Shouldn't you be at work?" It was 11 AM.

"Yea, I think I left my hardhat here the other day though. I need it for a bridge job this afternoon." Jason explained.

"Ah, you did. One sec" I headed to the kitchen and grabbed the bright orange hardhat. "There you go. Be safe out there."

Jason took the hardhat and eyed me. "You alright Sook? You look a little tired."

"I'm fine..." I did not have much explanation for him. I missed my patient who I was sort of dating?

"Did something happen? I know you said you ain't seeing anyone but I could tell you were lying." He put his hardhat on backwards then put his hands on his hips. He really looked like a doofus.

"I was just talking to someone, but things ended before they could get started. I don't really want to get into the details." There that was true. I did not enjoy lying to Jason. He was my brother and he was trying to be a better one.

"Alright, well he's an idiot for messing up. You're probably too good for him anyway Sook." Jason patted my shoulder then was out the door. He hopped into his pickup with the hideous aqua and pink stripes down the side and rumbled down the driveway. I shut the door and smiled a little. Sometimes I really liked having a brother.

I was about to sit down when there was another knock on the door.

"Jason, what did you forget now?!" I headed back across my living room to answer the front door.

I swung the door open and my jaw dropped.

Instead of my brother standing there it was Eric's hulking frame. He took up all of the space in the small doorway. Instead of the pajama pants I was used to seeing him in, he had on black jeans and a dark grey t-shirt. They both looked quite expensive and as if they were perfectly tailored to fit him. My eyes slowly traveled up and I was comforted to see his blonde hair was still hanging down just above his eyes.

"Sookie?" He seemed unsure and was fidgeting. I realized I had not said anything.

"Hi" I was in a bit of shock. How did he leave? How did he find me?

"Can I come in?"

"Oh, of course" I stepped aside and Eric slowly walked in. He was looking around and seemed to be inspecting everything.

"How did you find me?" I had only given him my phone number and name.

"You told me you lived in this town awhile ago. So I came to Bon Temps and asked around. People are surprisingly open about giving out your address."

"Really?"

"I might have told them I was a good friend from college." He looked a bit bashful now and tucked his hands into his pockets.

"Oh, that makes sense then. People around here don't question much." We were a small town and people were used to being honest and not having to worry about thieves and killers.

We stood there in awkward silence for a bit. I was happy to see him but there were so many questions. "Do you remember anything?"

"No" He was staring down at his shoes, which were black leather. Those must be his real clothes. I guess Eric did live an expensive life it seemed.

"So... what are you doing here? Where's Pam?" I figured he would be with his sister until his memories returned.

"It's... I..." Eric seemed to be getting nervous now. "I don't really like her. She is different and not in a good way. I had to come here now because it was safe."

He was freaking me out. "What do you mean safe?"

"Pam only comes out at night. She sleeps all day, so this was my chance to get away." Did she work the night shift somewhere? Or maybe she had a disorder where she needed to avoid sunlight?

"But why is she dangerous? Eric what's going on?" I asked, maybe he found out more about his real life.

"I don't want you to think I'm crazy." He said quietly and wouldn't meet my eyes.

I stepped over to him and put my hands on his forearms. "Eric look at me" His eyes slowly met mine. "I'm not going to think you're crazy. I know you're not." I had been around him enough to know that.

Eric took a deep breath before he started to explain. "I don't know exactly what Pam is involved in but I think it's bad. She took me to this closed down bar and led me down into the basement, she said I could sleep there." He looked damn freaked out as he explained. "It looked like a torture chamber or something. There were chains on the walls and steel cuffs. I saw blood stains on the floor and a coffin in the corner." His eyes were full of desperation. "I couldn't stay and you were the only person I could think of. I trust you."

Holy shit. So Pam might be some crazy axe murderer and apparently Eric might be her accomplice? If she was so open about all of that with him I suspected he was a part of it when he used to have memories.

"Please don't call Pam or the cops Sookie. I don't want to be a part of that life. I know I might have been before but I don't remember it. I want to be a good person." Eric was begging me to help him. My heart was breaking a little at his words. Pam brought him back to his life but he did not want it anymore.

"Okay..." Was I really agreeing to this? I supposed this was not a crime. Eric was an adult so Pam could not force him to be anywhere. He could go where he pleased. But I did worry about what kind of criminal shit I might be getting into. Pam would look for him. However I could not just turn him away. Eric did not want the life he had, he wanted to be someone better, how could I deny him that?

Pushing him back to Pam seemed cruel and leaving him on his own seemed almost as bad. He had no memories and no job that we knew of. He would not survive on his own right away.

"Thank you" I was engulfed in a giant hug from Eric. I was careful to not touch his back too much. I'm sure the cuts were still sore.

"How is your back?" Dealing with something simple like that seemed good right now.

"I don't know, I haven't looked at it since you patched me up." He shrugged.

"What? Doesn't Pam know to check on wounds? Does she think you're Superman or something...geez." She was a shit sister.

I ushered Eric to sit down on the couch and I pulled his shirt up. After peeling away one of the bandages I was not pleased to see the cut looked slightly infected. Ugh, stupid Pam. Eric kept still while I cleaned all of the cuts again before putting on fresh bandages. He was probably going to have some small scars from that.

"There, all set until tomorrow." I pulled his shirt back down and started putting my first aid kit away.

"Sookie?" Eric was looking up at me.

"Yeah?"

"Can I stay with you?" The poor guy looked so nervous as he asked. Did he really think I was going to say no? Saying yes to helping him meant giving him a place to sleep. I was not going to make him go stay in the only motel Bon Temps had. The place was dirty and crawling with cheap hookers.

"Of course" I gave him a small smile then headed to the bathroom to put things away.

When I returned Eric was in the kitchen. "Did you buy this house?"

"No it used to be my Gran's. I grew up here and when she passed away I inherited it." Eric only knew the work me. He did know some details of my life but I realized there was a lot he missed out on by only seeing me in that environment.

"Oh, that's too bad about your Grandmother." The response seemed robotic but I didn't mind. I never expected people to say sorry every time I mentioned her.

"It's okay she lived a full life. Want to sit outside?" It was a bright and sunny day. I led Eric out the back door to where I had a lawn chair set up in my backyard. I grabbed a second one and set it up next to mine.

We sat down in the chairs and already I could feel the warmth of the sun seeping into my skin. Eric's hand immediately found mine. I looked over at him and he seemed more relaxed. He was leaning back in the chair and the sun was forcing him to squint a little to see.

"What are your plans Eric?" I had no idea what to do. I could let him stay here but other than that, I had no clue how to help.

"I don't know." He seemed perplexed and just as confused as me. "I was with Pam and I felt like I didn't belong there. Besides all of her freaky stuff, I didn't feel like I fit in there. I just kept missing you."

That was not much of an explanation but for now it was enough. "I missed you too."

After that we were quiet and just sat outside in the sun for hours.

The rest of the day passed by normally and without visitors. That was for the best since I did not know how to introduce Eric yet. I did not know what he was to me or how to explain him living in my house. I'd have to tell Jason eventually. That much was for sure. Evening rolled around and I just ordered pizza for Eric and I.

We were sitting on the couch watching a movie when the doorbell rang.

"I'll get it." Eric got up and so did I to get some money.

But when I got back the door was shut and he was sitting on the couch with the pizza on the coffee table.

"Didn't he want his money?"

"I paid for it." He answered casually and started opening the box.

"Um, how?" I had no idea if he had any money or brought things with him from Pam's.

"Pam gave me my wallet when I was with her. It had $1000 in it, so I used some of it." Eric shrugged.

"What? That's a lot of money Eric." I don't think he understood just how much money that was, especially to have in cash.

"I guess, but it's mine, and the least I can do is pay for the pizza." Eric was not bothered by the money and he did not seem to be worrying about where it came from. How did he earn it? Or steal it...

"Ok" I did not want to ruin the night by questioning something we would not find answers to anytime soon.

I scurried out to the kitchen and filled two glasses with soda. Pizza was something I had to have a soda with, anything else just tasted strange. Eric was grinning like an idiot when I placed the soda in front of him.

"Is this what you always eat at home?"

"Hell no, I'd be fat as a cow if I did that." I wondered if he even liked pizza. We were about to find out.

Eric took a bit of his pepperoni pizza and chewed with concentration. Then he took another bite, and another, then was done with the slice. I guess he liked it...

"This is great. Why didn't the hospital make this?" Eric was stuffing the second slice into his mouth.

I was trying not to laugh too hard. "Because it's unhealthy food. All of this grease and cheese isn't exactly good for you."

"But it tastes so good!"

"I know" I chuckled and finally ate my own pizza.

We were disrupted when the door bell rang. It had just become dark outside so I couldn't see who it was through the window. I got up and headed to the door. I opened it and was greeted with a very disgruntled face.

"What the fuck are you doing?" Pam's angry glare was first directed at me but then quickly shifted to Eric.

_a/n: in this chapter I totally was picturing them holding hands like those people in the Viagra-type commercials. The ones sitting in separate bathtubs but they're holdings hands haha. Except these two have some quality Wal-Mart lawn chairs. =P_


	9. Chapter 9

**a/n: let's see what Pam has to say...**

**Chapter 9**

My heart was pounding. My eyes darted from Pam to Eric. He was looking at me as if I could answer the question. I did not want to be talking to the potential murderer, thank you very much. Pam was still giving both of us an icy stare.

"Well?" She was growing impatient.

"I didn't want to stay with you." Eric finally stood up and walked towards the door. He looked as uncertain as I felt. I was definitely on edge. Pam felt like a threat as she stood in the doorway. I was shocked she did not just barge in.

"Eric I told you, you can't just go anywhere. It isn't safe." From her expression it was obvious she did not want to discuss this in front of me.

"I'm not anywhere, I'm with Sookie. She takes better care of me than you. We didn't even stop to get anything to eat yesterday." Eric was obviously intimidated by Pam but he was forcing himself to stand up to her. I was proud of him. Since he was the giant maybe I could hide behind him this time.

"I'm not used to babysitting hum-... anyone. You're normally quite self sufficient." She still looked displeased but I sensed she knew Eric was right. She was not taking proper care of her amnesiac brother.

"Pam I don't want to go back with you. Whatever life we had, I don't want any part of it. Please just let me be."

Pam literally growled at his words. She stepped forward like she was going to shred me to pieces but stopped at the threshold. I have no idea why. If she was a psycho killer wouldn't she have run in and cut us both up by now? Eric had his arm around me and protectively pulled me against his side.

"You don't mean that Eric." I almost felt bad for her. There was pain in her voice.

"Yes I do." He stared her down with determination. I have no idea where it came from.

"Whatever. Stay here, play house, I don't give a fuck. But I can promise you both it won't last forever." Pam was angry and without another word darted down the steps and her figure faded into the ink black night. I did not see her car or hear one start. But she was gone and that was enough for now.

I quickly shut the door and locked it. Then I checked every window and door in the entire house. I sincerely hoped Pam's words did not mean she would be back. When I was done I found Eric sitting on the couch.

"I can leave. I don't want to mess up your life, who knows what Pam is into." He frowned and started to stand up.

"No" I stood in front of him and blocked his path.

"I said I would help you. I'm still going to. Pam already knows about me anyway so it doesn't make any difference at this point. I'm not going to make you face the world alone Eric." I don't know why I was so loyal to him and willing to mess up my own life. I had not known him that long but felt connected to him.

Eric seemed to be done with words. He knotted his fingers into my hair and pressed his lips to mine. I don't know what came over me but I responded with vigor. Maybe it was the roller coaster of emotions this situation caused, or the amazing feeling of kissing someone and hearing nothing, or it could just be that I wanted Eric. I decided to not waste anymore time thinking about it. I thought far too much in my life. For now I wanted to live in the moment.

His tongue slid between my lips and I wondered if he remembered kissing at all, because he was damn good at it. My hands traveled up his spine and I could feel the expensive fabric of his t-shirt beneath my palms. I didn't think he needed all of that pricey clothing covering him anyway. So I reached for the bottom of his tee and Eric quickly got the message. He pulled it off then his hands went for my own shirt. Once it was lying on the floor he just stared at me for a few seconds. To be honest it made me feel a little self conscious to have his blue eyes burning into me that way.

"You're perfect" He seemed to be in awe and I realized if he had no memories…. He probably had no memory of sex right? Therefore mentally Eric was a virgin.

I had no real response to his words so I captured his lips with mine. His hands moved from my hips, up my bare skin slowly. He seemed to be testing what he was allowed to touch. With my current mood he had a green light for anything. Eventually one of his hands settled on my right breast, still covered by my white bra. His fingers started to knead into my flesh with just the right amount of pressure. I pulled him closer by the waistband of his jeans and pulled him back with me towards my bedroom.

We made it to the start of the short hallway when Eric pressed me up against the wall. He seemed to be getting more confident and it was definitely a turn on. His lips were crashing against mine as we both seemed to be losing any gentleness in our touch. I had to pull away to breathe and his mouth went to my neck, moving with wet kisses down to the top of my shoulder where I swear I felt his teeth dig into my skin some.

"Mmm" I sighed, who knew biting could feel so good?

Eric's hands were on my ass but then he leaned down, placed them at the back of my thighs, and picked me up. I gasped in surprised and automatically wrapped my legs around him. His large frame was pressing me against the wall and I could feel he was hard already. I wrapped my arms around his neck and our tongues resumed their endless dance.

"Hey! Get the fuck off my sister!" Jason's holler echoed through the house.

I froze and Eric seemed to as well. He carefully set me down and turned to face my brother. I noticed he kept his body in front of mine. It was a nice gesture but my shirt was all the way in the living room, I had to get it at some point. It gave me a chance to try and regain my composure though. My face was bright red. Nobody wanted their brother walking in at a time like this.

"Who the hell are you?!" Jason looked pissed.

"Eric…" He mumbled back and shrugged, unsure of how to appease Jason.

"I'm gonna punch the shit outta you!" Jason started to step forward.

"Cut it out Jay!" I quickly darted over to my shirt and put it on then stood in front of Eric. I think he needed more protecting than me right now.

"This is Eric the guy…. I've been seeing." I did not know how else to explain this.

Jason paused. "The one you ended things with? I thought it didn't work out? If this is some jerk trying to manipulate you Sook-"

"Jason! Stop! He's not! We just had a few bumps in the road but we're figuring things out. So be nice to him." I glared at my brother and he seemed to calm down some. "And Eric is going to be staying with me for a little while so you need to get used to seeing him."

"What? Why?" He was not happy with all of these changes.

"Um…" I needed to think of something fast. I couldn't tell him Eric was running from his old life where he might be a murderer. "He got laid off from work and can't afford his rent. He just needs a bit of help getting back on his feet."

Jason seemed to buy that explanation but he was not happy a man was in my house. He still thought of me as his seven year old sister and not a grown woman. I appreciated him being protective but he needed to back off right now.

"Fine, but if you hurt her or do anything that seems shady, I'm takin' my shotgun to your face." Jason growled in Eric's direction.

Eric raised his eyebrows in disbelief then nodded.

"Now…. I just came over to borrow some milk. I ran out and didn't feel like driving all the way to the store." Jason obviously relaxed and turned his attention back to me.

I let him borrow a half gallon of milk and after telling him everything was fine five more times, he went home. If I was a normal woman then catching me with a man would not be that unusual. Jason would probably think about knocking before coming in. But he knew about me and my telepathy, that is was why I never dated. So the last thing he expected was to see me half naked with some guy.

To be honest the last thing I expected was for that to happen. Now that my brain was turned on again I was kind of glad Jason stopped us. I did not know that much about Eric. Even if he wanted to live a good life I felt the need to get to know him more. If I slept with him I was going to fall for him, I just knew it. I would not be able to avoid the emotional connection I'd feel towards him after that.

"Your brother dislikes me." Eric had not put his shirt back on.

"He just doesn't know you and that was not the best first impression to give him." I smirked and headed back towards the living room.

"You told him you've been seeing me, what does that mean?" Eric sat down on the couch next to me.

"It doesn't have to mean anything. I just needed away to explain why you're here. If he thinks we're dating then he won't question us too much."

"Oh" He actually looked a bit disappointed. His lips turned into a slight frown.

I didn't say anything. I had no idea how to classify what we were.

Eric was quiet for awhile but seemed deep in thought. When he spoke he seemed nervous, like he had needed that time to get the courage to speak up.

"What if I want to date you, for real? I know I don't have a life and memories like a normal man, Sookie. But I care about you and I want a chance to be with you." His sea blue eyes were unsure and anxious.

In that moment he reminded me of Forrest Gump. You know the part of the movie when Jenny has been living with him for awhile and he tries to insist to Jenny that he really does love her, and knows what love is? I'm not saying I thought Eric was going to get a low score on an IQ test. But he just had that innocence and hope about him that somehow mixed with his adult mind made me think he understood all of these deep emotions better than me.

"Well…." Of course in a normal situation I would love to call him my boyfriend.

"Just give me a chance. I can figure my life out, get a job, I just need some time."

"I'm not saying no Eric, let's just see where things take us ok?" I liked Eric a lot but I needed to find a little stability within all this mayhem before things moved further along.

That seemed to be enough for him right now. He gave me a small smile and nodded. We settled back on the couch and I flipped through the channels until I found an episode of Supernatural playing. It was a show meant for a teenage audience but the two brothers were handsome and I always found the hint of horror in the show to be interesting.

"Did they just cut that guy's head off? This is your kind of show?" Eric raised an eyebrow.

"He's a vampire so they had to. Otherwise he'd just eat them!" I argued back.

"You ever wonder if those things are real? Not vampires really but ghosts or the paranormal?" He seemed genuinely curious about my opinion.

"I think some of it could be real, like spirits. Everyone has a soul and I have a hard time believing it just puffs out the second our bodies die." I believed my Gran was still with me in some capacity.

"Interesting… are you religious?" Eric was taking up most of the couch. He was leaning back with one arm resting on the back and his feet resting on the edge of my coffee table.

"Sort of. I used to go to church a lot with my Gran. Once she passed I don't attend the services quite as much. I believe in God but sometimes I don't agree with every rule the church has." I wondered if Eric was a religious man. For some reason I doubted it.

Eric was quiet for awhile while we watched TV. "Do you think heaven and hell exist?"

I wasn't sure where all of these questions were coming from. "I think so."

He frowned and his expression darkened.

"What if I was such a bad person before, that I'll never be forgiven?" I don't think Eric was worried about dying soon. I think it was more about his own guilt of who he may have been in the past.

"If you truly change, you can always be forgiven. You have plenty of time to outweigh the bad with good things Eric. I believe you can do it." I believed every word I said to him. If Eric was determined to forget the bad life he had been leading before then anything was possible for him.

Eric did not say anymore. He seemed to be thinking that over. We silently watched the end of the episode then went to bed. I let Eric sleep in Jason's old room upstairs. However in the middle of the night I woke up and felt him slide into bed behind me. He didn't do anything except curl his larger body around mine, his strong arms encasing me and pulling me back against his chest. We didn't say anything but I felt completely safe and content. Eventually I fell back asleep.

_a/n: so, I always found it curious that CH's amnesia Eric had no memories yet had complete confidence and expertise in the bedroom. I'm not saying I'll make poor Eric super awkward, I just always wondered why it wasn't acknowledged. _


	10. Chapter 10

**a/n: all mistakes are mine, as usual. =)**

**Chapter 10**

The next morning when I woke up I could hear movement in the kitchen. I remembered Eric was staying with me. I got up and wandered out of my room to find him pouring two glasses of orange juice next to bowls of cereal set on the table. He had on only his jeans from yesterday. I realized we needed to get him some clothes. For a bit I remained quiet and just admired the view. It wasn't so bad waking up to a handsome man in my house preparing breakfast. Granted it was a simple breakfast but it was a nice gesture all the same.

"Hi" He noticed me standing in the entryway.

"Morning, I see you've been busy." I smiled and sat down across from him at the table.

"Yes, I wanted to do something for you. You've helped me so much. I wanted to cook you breakfast but then…. I couldn't remember how to make anything." He frowned.

"It's fine Eric, I appreciate this, and I like cereal." I smiled and took a spoonful of the Cheerios in my bowl. I found it odd he couldn't remember cooking. He remembered other small things like how to brush his teeth. Maybe the old Eric had a maid to cook for him. Who knew!

After breakfast I got dressed and Eric pulled on his clothes from the previous day. I decided we were going shopping. I had a few errands to run then we could pick up some clothes for him as well. He couldn't keep wearing the same jeans no matter how perfectly they fit that cute man butt of his.

I took Eric to a shopping plaza in Munroe where there was a Kohl's. They usually had great sales so I shopped there often. Eric only had the money in his wallet. While it seemed like a lot over a span of time it wouldn't be much and I wasn't rich enough to buy everything for him. Therefore we had to spend wisely and that was something I was good at.

"So… what colors do you like?" I asked as we walked towards the men's department.

Eric was looking all around and seemed fascinated. I guess being locked up in the hospital made the store seem pretty exciting.

"I like blue, I think." He shrugged and wandered aimlessly through a few rows of shirts. Eric seemed lost as he tried to take everything in and pick something.

"What about this?" I picked up a plain blue, v-neck tee. It was on sale for 20% off too!

"Hmm, yeah, I like it. It's plain." Okay I made note of that. He wanted nothing too flashy for his clothes. I tossed the blue shirt into the cart we had and we continued on.

Eventually Eric found a shirt he really liked. "Can I get this?"

"Eric it's your money. You don't have to ask me." I grinned and tried to not chuckle at his selection. It was a black Nike tee that said 'Just Do It' in bright red letters on the chest. I think he had no clue that it was the brand's catch phrase. He just wanted his shirt to say 'do it' on the front. I'm telling you men can turn into children in seconds.

Eric very proudly placed the shirt in the cart. He picked out a few more plain color tees and a white wife beater for some reason. Then we went to browse through the jeans. He seemed to want black jeans but since most of his shirts were dark colors I convinced him to get only one pair and the rest were blue jeans. I also noticed he did not want any of his clothes to be loose and baggy. I certainly did not mind that.

Then it was time for shoes since he couldn't be waltzing around in nice dress shoes all the time.

"These are interesting…" Eric was holding a pair of Reebok Zig-Techs, with the neon yellow zig-zag sole. "Why would someone put this on?"

I laughed and shook my head. "I don't know. I think they're pretty goofy too."

"What do I need for shoes? Sneakers or boots?" Eric was looking overwhelmed again as he eyed the numerous selections.

"Well you could get one of each." He still had plenty of money to spend since we got mostly sale items.

Eric thankfully fit into a size 13 so we could find a couple pairs of shoes without having to order them. He picked out a pair of black work boots and also decided he wanted black Adidas shell toes with the white sripes on them. He wanted to be different he said, since he already had seen three men walk by wearing the all black or all white versions of the sneaker today.

I had to admit Eric's new wardrobe was much less intimidating than the one outfit of his own he had. It made him seem more like a normal guy I could meet in town. We also picked up some pajamas, socks, and underwear. I was quite curious about what he would pick. When he selected black boxer-briefs there were a lot of naughty images racing through my mind.

We made all of our purchases and headed home. Eric helped me put away the few groceries I picked up then he decided to change into some clean clothes. I was in the front yard watering the few flowers Gran had planted years ago when he walked outside. Eric had on blue jeans, sneakers, and of course that 'just do it' t-shirt.

"Nice shirt" I smirked at him as he came down the steps.

"I like it. It's simple and to the point." He grinned and I rolled my eyes. "Do you enjoy gardening?"

"It's okay, I mostly maintain the garden because my Gran really loved it. I know she would want someone to keep caring for it the way she did." I shrugged.

"You must have really been close. What about your parents? You don't say much about them." Eric sat down on the front porch steps to get out of the hot sun.

"They died when I was just a kid, freak accident. So my Gran and Jason have been my only family for a long time." I was okay talking about it now. I had a long time to sort it all out in my head.

"Oh…. It's nice that your brother protects you then." Eric seemed to realize why Jason was so crazy last night. We only had each other in this world and he didn't want to see his baby sister hurting.

"It is, even if I want to smack him sometimes." I smiled and turned off the hose.

Eric and I spent the rest of the day getting to know each other better. I worked outside painting the porch railings that desperately needed it. Eric willingly helped out and asked me a million questions about my life. I told him about my childhood, how Amelia was my best friend, my choice to go to nursing school. Then we discussed trivial things like movies, books, and what my first pet was. Unfortunately I could not question him too much. Eric was discovering new things about himself everyday but there were no memories he could fill me in on.

I did not tell him about my telepathy. It was still too soon for that. Part of me wanted to tell him but I couldn't work up the courage. What if he thought I was crazy? I tried to not think about it too much and just enjoy my peaceful companion.

We had spaghetti for dinner and Eric was hilarious to watch with pasta. He tried twirling it on his fork but kept failing so eventually he just started slurping it into his mouth. He seemed annoyed and I was laughing.

"You think this is funny? This is so hard to eat."

"C'mon it's not that bad, and yes it's hilarious!" I leaned back against my seat holding my sides.

"I'll show you hilarious." He muttered and with that he used his fork to flick a piece of meatball at my face. It landed right on my forehead.

"Eric!" I shrieked and started wiping the meatball off of my face.

He was laughing his ass off. Jerk!

"C'mon it's not that bad." He mocked me and just kept smiling.

I tossed a piece of bread at him and the war began. I was being nice by tossing bread and not making a mess. Eric on the other hand was tossing clumps of spaghetti at me. I ducked down and a few noodles splattered on the cabinet behind me. I would regret this tomorrow when I was cleaning it up.

"Ha!" I managed to get some spaghetti on his face finally. He was nearly clean and I was covered in bits of pasta and had sauce in speckles over my neck and face.

Eric did not take to losing too well since he lunged at me the one time I hit him. I turned and barely avoided his grasp, running down the hallway at full speed. I slowed down so my sock covered feet wouldn't slide out around the corner, big mistake. It felt like slow motion as his arms looped around my waist and caged me against his body.

"Gotcha" I could feel his hot breath against my ear and it sent shivers down my spine. I was starting to think we should pick up where left off, minus Jason barging in this time.

Apparently Eric was on the same track as me since I felt his tongue sliding over my neck. "Mmmm, you taste good."

"Maybe because someone covered me in marinara sauce." I tried to sound pissed off but it was weak.

"I can take care of that." I felt him smirk against my skin as he started sucking and licking his way up my neck. At this rate I was going to be a mess again in seconds, but for entirely different reasons.

Eric turned me to face him and his lips came crashing down against mine. His tongue swept into my mouth, eagerly exploring. I didn't try to push him away. I wanted this and despite how complicated the situation was I going do what I wanted for once. I had run down the hall towards my room which had a connected bathroom so I grabbed the front of his shirt and pulled him in that direction. There would be no spaghetti sauce all over my nice white sheets.

We were in the bathroom now and Eric had me on the edge of the sink, my legs wrapped around his waist. He really liked picking me up like it was nothing. Once I had to come up for air I pulled his shirt off. I would never get tired of staring at his perfect body. For a second I noticed he already had a slight tan line from being outside helping me today. Then Eric quickly stole my focus when he started sucking on my bottom lip before diving into a full french kiss again. My fingers wanted to dig into his shoulders but I had to be careful of his injuries. So instead I let my hands drift down to knead into his amazing ass. Judging by the growl vibrating from his chest Eric quite liked that. He made quick work of my shirt and bra, then paused.

I felt uncomfortable under his intense gaze as his eyes raked over my bare top half. I didn't know exactly what was going on in his mind right then. But he started kissing me again which helped me forget about being self-conscious. When my hands moved down to the button on his pants he seemed distracted once more.

"What's wrong?" I was out of breath and sure my lips might be bruised.

Eric's face was level with mine since I was sitting on the sink. His expression was uncertain and almost bashful.

"I…." He seemed to be searching for words. "I don't want to disappoint you."

I wasn't entirely sure of what to say. How could he disappoint me?

"I don't think that's possible." I moved my hands up to rest on his shoulders.

"Sookie, I know how all of this works, but I don't remember ever being with a woman." Yes now he was definitely embarrassed. I could see the pink color in his cheeks. It actually only made me want him even more. I liked that Eric wasn't trying to play it off as being super confident and a know-it-all. He was able to admit he was unsure of himself and I liked that about him.

"Oh, I don't know why I didn't think of that. But Eric, trust me, you can't disappoint me. I'm no expert at this either. I've been with one man in my entire life." Most of the time I felt a bit embarrassed admitting that at my age. But with Eric I didn't feel like he was judging me.

"Really?" He actually seemed relieved.

"Yes, and I bet we'll have plenty of fun exploring each other and figuring out what works." I grinned and Eric was smiling back.

"I like that plan." Now he was back on track as he started undoing the button on my pants, while trying to never let his lips leave my skin. He did a pretty good job I must say. My fingers were digging into his hair as he sucked on my nipples, making sure each got equal attention. I lifted my hips as he pulled my jeans down and they were soon on the floor.

"Shit!" It suddenly hit me. "I don't have any condoms here." I groaned in frustration. I was on the pill simply to regulate my period, but since I basically never had sex I certainly had no condom stash in my bedroom. I trusted Eric but our problem was neither of us knew what his sexual history was. I couldn't take that kind of risk.

"So?" Eric seemed confused.

"So, that means we need to put the brakes on this. We can't have unprotected sex without knowing your past." I don't know why he was not getting this. Maybe his raging boner was making it difficult to think clearly.

"Why? Don't you always take that pill?" Eric found my birth control in the bathroom and of course had to be curious and ask about it. I don't know why he didn't remember something that was common sense like women's birth control, or why now he seemed to be blanking on STDs. I understood the no memories of himself, but it was like he had never had to deal with condoms before or something.

"Yes, but it's not 100% effective against pregnancy. And the bigger issue here is if you've ever contracted any disease from being with another woman. We just don't know that." I explained and it slowly seemed to be sinking in.

"Oh… I don't why I didn't think of that." He seemed frustrated with himself.

"It's okay, not your fault." Eric had backed away some and I didn't like the distance he put between us. I hopped off the counter and turned the shower on.

"Come on" I finished getting undressed and Eric was just staring at me. I guess right now I was the first naked woman he had seen. "You coming or not?"

"I thought we couldn't…." His eyes darted from the shower to me.

"We can't do that, but we can do other things." I smirked then hopped under the hot spray, leaving Eric to decide for himself.

Seconds later I had a blonde giant in the shower with me. Let me tell you, he was definitely giant all over. Now I was a little glad I did not have condoms. That thing was damn intimidating and I was seriously wondering how much it was going to hurt since I had little sexual experience.

Eric and I washed off all of the remnants of our food fight. Then proceeded to use up all of the hot water while figuring out the best ways to drive each other crazy with just our hands. At this point I was really enjoying my new house guest.

_a/n: so they keep running into obstacles, first Jason, now condoms! and this Eric gets to have more of a sense of humor. I figure without all of that vampire politic bullshit weighing him down, Eric would be a more lighthearted fella. Please review! =)_


	11. Chapter 11

**a/n: this is the longest chapter so far, I doubt you guys will mind that! oh and there might be some mild NSFW content in here too =P**

**Chapter 11**

Falling into a rhythm with Eric was easy, almost too easy. It had been one week since he had come to stay with me. Neither of us had heard from his sister Pam and no one had come to attack him yet. My hope was that they gave up or had no idea where he was. Once in awhile Eric's strangely vivid dreams would have him telling me a strange story or wondering about elusive questions. He had asked me at dinner one night, what I thought it would be like to live forever. He brushed it off as just a weird dream but still was insistent on my answer. I told him it seemed like a sad existence since everything you knew and loved would eventually be gone. Another night when we were laying in my bed he told me that he thought there was more to the world than we knew. I guess I believed that and told him so. There was God, spirits, and plenty of scientific discoveries to be made right here on Earth still. I never thought he might have meant something much more specific.

So other than the occasional out there conversations things were quite normal. I told Amelia that Eric was staying with me and she promised to keep another one of my secrets. Octavia was back to her normal self at work. Most of the time when I came home from the hospital Eric had been up to something. I quickly discovered he was not lazy and needed to keep himself busy. He had finished painting the porch, weeded the garden, and stacked up the firewood Jason cut for me. It was something a girl could get used to.

"Eric?" I unlocked the backdoor and kicked off my shoes to leave them in the screened-in back deck.

"Hey Sook" Jason's voice came from the kitchen and I could hear them talking. I hope he was not interrogating Eric.

"Hi, how was work?" Eric asked from his seat across from my brother at the kitchen table.

"Fine... Jason what are you doing here?" It was just after seven. I figured he would be down at Merlotte's having a beer after work.

"Your brother just made me a really great offer." Eric seemed excited.

"Okay..."

"A spot opened up on the road crew. Bud Dearborn's nephew quit a couple days ago, and you said Eric had gotten laid off right?" Jason explained with quite a bit of pride.

"Oh that's a nice offer Jay. You don't have to accept if you don't want to." I eyed Eric, I didn't want him to feel like he had to take whatever my brother gave him.

"I already said yes. I get bored not doing anything and I would much rather be productive." He smiled.

Well it looked like my brother and...whatever Eric was to me, would be working together. This would either go well or blow up in our faces. I had no idea if they would get along. Jason was getting better each day but he still had his shallow and idiotic moments. Meanwhile Eric proved to be this deep and bottomless pit of thoughts and emotions.

"That's great then, thanks for thinking of him Jason." I smiled and really was glad Jason took the time to consider Eric.

"No prob sis. I'm gonna get out of here though. See you tomorrow at 7 Eric?" Jason stood up and headed to the door.

"Yes, I'll be ready." He nodded then Jason was out the door. I assumed Jason was going to pick Eric up since he had no car and I would be at work as well tomorrow.

"Sookie?" Eric seemed uncertain as he ran his fingers through his hair. "What does a construction worker wear?"

I chuckled "just wear jeans and those work boots you bought"

Later that night we were sitting in front of the television watching a program on the History channel called 'The Men Who Built America'. Eric was just as much of a history geek as I was, except he seemed to know a lot more than me. On nights I got out early we settled in front of the TV and certain things would spark Eric's memory and he'd tell me an entire story about how a skyscraper was built, or prohibition. We were like a boring old married couple already and it would probably make other people want to puke. I loved every second of it. I never got to enjoy this kind of companionship with anyone in my life. I could always hear my family's thoughts in the background. With Eric I felt normal.

I glanced over at him as a sketch of one of Andrew Carnegie's business partners popped up.

"That kind of looks like you. Maybe you're related to some famous family like the Vanderbilts."

"Now that would be interesting, I wouldn't mind being a part of a family that helped shape the country." The picture faded away and the narration said little about the man. People just knew Carnegie had some elusive business partner who made large investments in his steel companies, apparently no one ever saw much of him.

Sitting curled up on the couch with Eric's arm around me was completely comfortable. But tonight my mind kept focusing on the fact that I had not been completely honest with him. I was getting very attached to Eric because he accepted me and liked me for who I was. The only problem was he didn't know all of me. Right now Eric told me almost any thought or weird dream he had. I did not do the same in return and it was making me feel guilty. I was also insanely worried he would think I was a freak once he knew the truth. I did not want to lose him.

"Eric" I shifted enough so I was facing him.

"Hmm?" His eyes were still glued to the television.

"Eric, I need to tell you something." That got his attention.

"What is it? Is something wrong?" He turned to look at me, his concern obvious.

"Not exactly..." How the hell was I supposed to tell him this?

"Ok..." Now he looked nervous while he waited for me to continue.

"I haven't been totally honest with you. There's a part of me I keep hidden from everyone...well except Amelia."

"I'm sure it couldn't be worse than having no memories." He gave me a small smile. I wondered if he would continue to feel that way in the next ten seconds.

"Icanreadpeople'sminds" I blurted out so fast he obviously didn't understand a thing I said.

"Um..."

"Sorry" I took a deep breath. "I can read people's minds Eric. You know, like telepathy?"

He just watched me and said nothing. It freaked me out. Was he going to get up and leave?

"Really? Like something we would see on your television?" He seemed curious.

"Yes."

"What am I thinking right now?" He leaned closer and seemed intent on having me recite his thoughts.

"I-I don't know. You're the only person I can't read. You're just quiet." I explained and had to look away from his piercing blue eyes.

"Why?" He was not running in the other direction so I took his questions as a good thing.

"I have no idea. But since the moment I found you outside the hospital you've been silent to me. It's nice... peaceful."

"Prove it then, let's go somewhere so I can see this at work." He was curious but not stupid. Eric was not calling me a liar or a freak, but he still wanted some type of confirmation. I couldn't blame him for that. Amelia had asked the same but in her case I just recited her thoughts back to her. Eric and I would need a test subject.

"Okay..." Where could we go? I was not going to Merlotte's to freak people out even more about me.

Fifteen minutes later Eric and I parked at a gas station on the edge of town. It was in a desolate area surrounded by swampy forest. I could hear all of the bugs making loud noises in the woods as we exited the car.

"Just watch" I said to Eric as I led the way into the convenience store.

I walked right up to the counter which had a scruffy, lanky looking man behind it. He was reading some Christian newsletter with that Newlin guy on the front. I'd heard of him before, he was one of those reverends that used his faith to become a celebrity. Gran always hated him.

"Can we get a box of those Magnums please?" I put a chipper smile on my face.

The guy looked down at my hands, obviously searching for a ring then glanced back up at me without moving.

"Excuse me, the condoms? You know right behind you?"

He glared at me and very slowly started to get up. _She might be cute but as usual she's just a fucking blonde whore. Not married, probably not even dating this guy. Bet they met outside and he offered her fifty bucks for a blowjob. Slut._

I took the condoms as he slid them across the counter and paid for them before speaking up. After all, I might as well get something out of this trip. Who knows if I'd be needing them though...

"Thanks" I said as he handed my change over with a sneer. "By the way, I am not a blonde whore and I did not just meet this man outside. Nor did he pay me money for a blowjob." I put on my crazy smile. It was the only way to deal with people sometimes. I could practically feel Eric's shock rolling off him in waves.

"W-what? I didn't say that!" Scruffy guy yelled back. _How the fuck did she know that?_

"How the fuck did I know that? Well you were thinking it awfully loud. You shouldn't judge people." Of course I was going to give him some reprimanding too. He deserved it!

"I-I..." He stuttered and backed up into the wall of cigarettes behind the register.

Then the next thing I knew Eric was behind the counter and punching the guy in the face. He was fast for being so tall and seemed to place each punch with accuracy.

"Eric! Stop! What are you doing?!" This was not part of the plan!

"Get out of here! Freaks! I'll call the cops!" Scruffy was screaming and stumbling back from Eric in a panic, with a bloody nose.

"He called you a whore." Eric stated as if it was completely logical he go beat the guy to a pulp.

Okay time to go! I ran around the counter, grabbed Eric's hand and dragged him out into the parking lot behind me. When we reached the car he stopped me.

"I'm sorry I got carried away. But once I realized he really thought that about you, I just... it really pissed me off." Eric seemed to be calming down.

"It's fine we have to go though in case he does call the police." We got into my car and sped out of the lot. As we were driving home on the quiet back roads the tension from before faded some.

"So you really can read people's minds. That's fascinating..." Eric was watching me from the passenger seat.

"You don't think it's weird?" Even I thought it was weird.

"No, just different. But everything about you has always been different and I like that." He had always said that and I felt the wave of relief rush over me. Eric wasn't running away screaming over this.

He reached over and took my hand, lacing our fingers together. "If you can take a chance on the amnesia guy with a potentially psycho sister, I think I can handle telepathy."

God I just wanted to hug him and kiss him forever. I never told anyone outside my family except Amelia and even she took a few days to come around. Yet here Eric was being absolutely perfect and not blinking twice over it. Plus he sort of defended my honor in the store and even though it wasn't the smartest move, a girl could still appreciate such a basic gesture. It was nice to feel like someone was looking out for you.

When we got back to the house I headed straight for my bedroom. Eric followed along behind me. I tossed our only purchase into my nightstand, then went to get ready for bed. I had work in the morning after all and so did Eric.

"Can I stay here with you tonight?"

I looked over my shoulder as I pulled off my shirt. He had seen it all before so it wasn't a big deal. "Why are you asking? You definitely have just ended up in here a few nights already." He would just slip into bed with me a few hours after I went to sleep, then get up before he thought I was awake. He was lucky I didn't find it creepy and just enjoyed the cuddles.

"You knew about that?" He ran his fingers over his hair and his bashfulness was back in full force. He was so cute like that.

"Yes, a giant sneaking into my bed tends to make me wake up a little." I giggled and pulled me nightshirt on along with a pair of cotton shorts to sleep in.

"oh... well I didn't want to have to sneak in and out then." He replied.

"Yes you can sleep here. Now hurry up and change so I can sleep before the morning shift!" I tossed my shirt at him and that got him moving.

I pulled down the blankets and got tucked into my bed. Eric came in a few minutes later wearing black boxer briefs and nothing else. I was sure my eyes bugged out of my head. I reminded myself I had seen all of him before, so why was I getting my panties in a bunch over this? I guess it just surprised me how comfortable he was around me already. I remembered it taking me forever to feel that comfortable around JB back in college.

"You're taking up all the sleeping space." He leered at me as he crawled into bed.

"Hey you're the one over six feet tall. That's not my fault." I smiled and moved over some for him. But Eric just grabbed me and pulled me back so I was practically on top of him.

"I thought you needed space?"

"Hmm, well I changed my mind." His fingers were moving over my lower back and leaving a trail of goose bumps on my skin. "You can sleep right here."

I bit back my grin and rested my head on his chest. I could hear his steady heartbeat and the warmth of his skin against mine. We stayed like that for awhile and I could hear the even sounds of his breathing. The room was completely dark except for the bit of moonlight filtering through the window.

"Do you like me because I'm silent to you?" His voice was barely a whisper.

"Yes" I admitted honestly. "But I like a lot of other things about you too."

"Like what?" Both of our voices were quiet as if we did not want to disturb the peaceful darkness surrounding us.

"I like how gentle you are, that you're kind and always seem to be hopeful. I like the sound of your laugh, and how you make me feel like I know every part of you...when you don't even know yourself yet." I ran my fingers down his bare arm, fingers tracing the outlines of his muscle in the milky lighting. "Most of all I like that you accepted me right away tonight. You didn't have to think twice about me being different, it didn't change anything for you."

"I don't know how such a small detail could make anyone not want to be a part of your life." His hand cupped my face pulling me closer until our noses were touching. "I'm still grateful that the night I lost everything, you found me."

I was sure his eyes were glowing with their intensity. I don't know how he managed to express so much with just a look.

Being right here in this moment with him felt right. I don't know how he stumbled into my life but I was so thankful it had happened. I could not remember ever feeling this way about anyone and now I realized I had been missing out on something. This need to be closer to him all the time must be what other people feel when they first start dating and are obsessed with each other. I had never had that in my life.

My face was still only an inch from his so I slowly closed the distance between us. His hand was still gently holding me, his thumb grazing over my cheek when my lips met his. Eric was a great kisser but this had to be the best one yet. It was slow, burning, but full of much more than just sexual energy. I could feel everything he felt for me in that kiss.

Eric carefully rolled us over so he was on top, his tongue sweeping across my bottom lip, asking for permission. I willingly parted my lips and pulled him closer. He was being careful with his weight on me when that was the last thing I wanted. I wanted to feel every inch of his body against mine. My hands moved over his back to pull him closer, I sighed with satisfaction as he responded and pressed himself against me.

His hand hooked under my knee, pulling my leg up around his hips. I wrapped my other leg around him, ridding us of any space between. Eric started to flex his hips against me. It was a slow and almost patient movement. As if he was in absolutely no rush at all. I was fine with the slow pace and wasting away my sleeping hours on him. I could go to work tired. I ran my fingers down his back freely for once, feeling each muscle shift beneath his skin as he moved. His cuts were healed now so his back was bandage free.

Eric moved down to my neck where he quickly found the spot that drove me crazy. I moaned as his tongue swirled over my skin and then he started sucking. I could be as loud as I wanted since we weren't in a supply closet. His hands started to slide under my shirt, grabbing the hem as they slid their way up my body. I leaned forward so he could finish pulling the article of clothing off. Then I looped my arms around his neck and pulled him back down onto the bed with me, our tongues dueling. His bare skin against mine was like heaven. I could feel the heat radiating off our bodies but it only made me want to be closer despite the late summer heat.

His lips traveled down my neck, covering my skin in light kisses until he reached my breasts. He kissed and sucked on one breast while his hand fondled the other. He was driving me insane but in the best way. His thrusts against me were getting more forceful and my hips were moving with his, trying to grind myself against him for more friction. I could feel he was already hard. I decided to make the move and let one of my hands slide down between us, and into his boxer briefs so I could get a hold of him. I pulled him free of his underwear and my grip tightened around his cock, stroking him steadily. Eric grunted and I could feel his breathing getting heavier against my neck.

He started pulling my shorts down and for a few seconds we stopped touching in order to get rid of the rest of our clothes. Once they were gone Eric was on me in a second, attacking me with his mouth and ready to thrust in.

"Wait… Condom.." I pointed to the nightstand and the light bulb seemed to go off in his head. He quickly opened the box and grabbed one. He was back in front of me and tore it open, then paused. His face was rather blank and I seriously wanted to know why out of all common sense things Eric forgot about condoms completely. My best guess was he didn't want to rip it while putting it on, since he didn't remember ever using one. I took it from his hand, and could feel him watching my every move. I rolled the condom onto him and was glad I got the Magnums. He definitely needed it.

We easily fell back into rhythm but instead of pushing into me like I expected, Eric started making his way down my body again. Apparently he only forgot birth control, and remembered all of the mechanics of sex. When his tongue swirled around my clit I was sure I'd died and gone to heaven. He could do amazing things with his mouth. His tongue swept over my center and my entire body shivered. I could feel that pressure building, much more of this and I would be one happy woman. But then Eric stopped. I looked down at him with frown and found him looking back up at me with a small smirk on his lips.

"Since I don't remember anything, I don't know how long this will last. And I want you to cum while I'm inside you." His voice was husky and deep as he made his way back up my body. I think I might have an orgasm just from those words.

Eric positioned himself between my legs, his weight resting on his elbows on either side of me. His forehead was against mine and my fingers wove into his hair.

"I'm so glad you found me." I felt his lips brush against mine with each word he said. Then he slowly pushed into me. It was painful at first but Eric went slow without me even having to ask. Once he was fully sheathed inside of me the discomfort started to ebb away while my body adjusted to him.

"I'm okay" I whispered to him and he started to move his hips. So this was what sex was like for everyone else. I couldn't hear what Eric was thinking, I got to just feel every inch of him. His movements were steady and gradually building up to more. My body was already humming with excitement from him going down on me, so it wasn't going to take much. My fingers were digging into his back as he thrust a bit harder and grinded himself against me just right. I pushed my head back into the pillows, closing my eyes and letting the sensations wash over me.

"Open your eyes." His deep voice purred right next to my ear.

I forced my eyes open and found him so close all I could see were his blue eyes, darkened by lust and passion. I don't know if it was his husky command, his eyes, or everything he was doing to me down below but my orgasm hit me hard and I was seeing stars. My body tightened around him over and over as he continued to thrust into me, sending waves of pleasant aftershocks through my body.

"You feel so good." He growled, his voice ragged with his heavy breathing. Eric came soon after, his body tensing but he kept his eyes on mine the entire time. Eventually he relaxed and I could feel his entire weight resting on top of me as he buried his face in my neck. We were a sweaty and entangled mess. I still had my arms and legs around him. I just wanted this feeling to last forever. We stayed like that until our breathing returned to normal and Eric started covering my neck in kisses again. These were playful as he nipped at my skin.

"Hey…. None of that mister. We have to sleep, you have work in the morning too." I giggled and pushed him back some.

"I can't keep you here naked all day?" He frowned and started to get up.

"Unfortunately no." I laughed.

Eric and I both took turns to quickly clean up in the bathroom before returning to bed. I slid in next to him and he pulled me back against his chest. Neither of us bothered putting clothes back on. I enjoyed feeling his skin on mine far too much for that.

"Night Eric" I gently squeezed the hand that was resting on my stomach.

"Goodnight Sookie" I felt him hug me a little closer.

**a/n: This is the fastest update I've had in ages. Thank my work being super slow for that. I'm actually a chapter and a half ahead for once in my life! You guys will definitely get an update by Sunday, maybe earlier if I get time to finish chapter 14 before then. We get back into some more of the mystery plot next chapter. As always reviews and thoughts are appreciated! Thanks so much to everyone already reviewing and faving this story! **


	12. Chapter 12

**a/n: I know I promised and update awhile ago on a Sunday...but life got in the way. The day I was supposed to post this chapter I came home from a ski trip to discover my neighbor, who happens to be my aunt and uncle, their house was on fire. Everything was ruined, and they have to knock down the house. I've had my cousin over 24/7 to eat dinner and just have some place to hang out besides the tiny apartment they've been forced to live in for now. Anyway you guys don't need my life story! I just wanted to explain why I've been such a crappy author when it comes to updates. See you at the bottom.**

**Chapter 12**

I woke up to the sound of my alarm and reached over to hit the off button. The problem was I couldn't move my arms. I still had Eric curled up behind me with his arms caging me against him. I tried to wiggle out of his grasp and he held on tighter.

"Eric…" I grumbled. "We have to get up."

"Five more minutes." He reached over me and hit snooze button then laid down and buried his face in my hair. I guess I could handle five more minutes of snuggling. I turned in his arms and just watched him. His eyes were shut but he wasn't sleeping.

"Why are you staring?" He mumbled.

"Because you're nice to look at." I ran my fingers down the slight stubble on his face.

"Mmm, so are you. And you taste good." He grabbed my hand and pressed a kiss against my palm. My cheeks flushed a light shade of pink at his words. I have no idea why I blushed after everything that happened last night, it was like a reflex.

The alarm started going off again and I knew we had to get up. I didn't want Eric to be late his first day. It was a bit chaotic getting ready, Eric wasn't usually in and out of the bathroom at the same time as me. I wasn't used to sharing but figured I would adjust. Sharing was well worth the toe-curling kiss I got once we both finished brushing our teeth. We ate breakfast together and then Eric headed to the door once we heard Jason's truck rumble into the driveway.

"Have a good day, don't let Jason be too much of an idiot." I smiled and gave him a quick kiss.

"I'll try. I might be distracted thinking about you all day to pay much attention to him." He smirked then headed out the door. I waved to Jason from the front door. Eric looked pretty edible in his jeans and work boots, he was probably going to look even better covered in sweat and dirt. Geez… my mind was in the gutter already and it was 7 in the morning.

A few minutes later I locked up the house and went to work myself. When I arrived Kennedy was already at the desk. We said little as usual and I went about my work. Octavia eyed me a few times and I wondered what her problem was. I was doing my job and as far as she knew Eric was long gone. It wasn't until hours later when Amelia came in to relieve Octavia, that I found out why.

"Sook! I have to tell you something!" She whisper yelled and dragged me into the empty lunch room.

"What? Ames, what the hell is going on?"

"Pam was here last night." Amelia said and my face went pale.

"What? Why?" This was not good. I thought she was staying away.

"She was asking Octavia if anyone had been snooping around here looking for Eric. Then Octavia said the wolf had not been back, no one had." Amelia was waving her hands around as she spoke and her eyes were wide as saucers. She was freaking out. "Then she said she put up wards right after the incident just in case, so maybe that was keeping trouble at a distance. I had no idea what the fuck that meant but Pam proceeded to ask Octavia if her magic was that strong!"

Amelia was practically having a panic attack.

"What? None of that makes any sense! What the hell does 'the wolf' mean? That guy who attacked Eric? And is Octavia getting super spiritual or something? Does she think that positive thinking is going to keep potential intruders away?" It was the only slightly rational explanation I had. Although she did think in some weird language sometimes… I never questioned her about it since it would give away my telepathy.

"I don't know Sookie, but I'm getting freaked out. Once I overheard all of that I of course got nosey and snooped around in her office some. I found a fucking spell book in there Sook! A real spell book in Latin! If you can read minds, who knows if she's seriously a witch!" Amelia took out her cell phone which had a picture of the spell book that she must have taken when snooping in the office.

"Ames we don't know anything. Plenty of people are considered witches already right? It doesn't mean they have some super magical powers. It's just a religion." I had to explain this away. Octavia was not a witch…. She couldn't be, right?

"But what about her and Pam talking? Obviously they're both keeping something from us. " Amelia sat down in one of the chairs.

"Did she tell her Eric is with me?"

"No…I don't know why she would even come back here since she knows he is with you."

This was frustrating. Amelia had to have missed part of the conversation, this was not adding up. I thought of Eric at work and prayed Pam did not find him somehow and kidnap him.

"God, I don't know what the hell Eric was mixed up in…but I don't think it's going to just go away like I hoped. His past is going to come back and bite us sooner or later." I was not giving up on him, just accepting this would be more of a fight than anticipated. He was a good man and had proven that over the time I had known him.

Amelia was seriously convinced something crazy was happening. While I believed Eric must have been involved in something dark in the past, I did not think it included black magic and Octavia. This was just too out there. If Eric used to be a criminal I could handle that, but talking about witches and spells was where I drew the line.

"Ames this is just too farfetched. How would Octavia be a witch and also be involved with Pam?" I sighed, already exhausted from this conversation.

"I don't know Sookie, but come on I'll show you her office." We easily slipped by Kennedy who had her nose in her magazine and into our boss' office. I felt guilty being in here. Amelia opened a bottom desk drawer and carefully lifted all of the files out of it. Beneath them was the worn book she had shown me on her phone. It was small and when Amelia opened it, there was Octavia's familiar cursive scrawl in a foreign language all over the pages. Some of them had sketches of what looked like certain plants or herbs.

"Okay... so maybe she is into this stuff. But that doesn't make magic real." I had to keep Amelia grounded before her imagination turned this into some epic supernatural tale. This was reality after all.

Then an idea hit me. "Wait, what if she has all of this because she is in some kind of cult? And maybe she knows Eric and Pam from it. Pam always talked to her when she came to the hospital...and Octavia knew a lot more about Eric than she ever would admit."

At least this logic made sense. It would explain Pam's creepy ass basement she took Eric to. Maybe their cult met there... a cult would also help explain her weird behavior. Maybe they believed in hiding from sunlight for some reason. I just hoped slaughtering people was not on their list of things to do. But why would that man have attacked Eric? Was he worried that in his condition he might blurt out the cult's existence?

"Holy shit, maybe that's it. Wow... who knew Octavia had some secret life. If Eric had never wandered into the hospital we never would have known about it..." Amelia started to put everything back in its place.

"I just don't want anyone coming after Eric if all of this is true. He has no memory of anything, he can't be any harm to them."

"What if he remembers someday, and just goes back to all of this craziness?" Amelia and I quietly left the room.

"I can't believe that right now. He said he doesn't want anything to do with Pam or his past." I had to respect what Eric told me, I had to help him. It didn't matter who he used to be. I knew who he was right now and that person deserved all the help he could get.

"Okay...just be extra careful. You don't know if someone from his past will pop up. I'll let you know if I hear anything here too. Who knows if Pam will show up again." Amelia led the way back to the front desk where Kennedy was still reading an article about lipstick. We both separated to actually do some work for awhile and tend to patients.

Hours later I was driving home and ready to fall asleep. My mind had been reeling all day with the news Amelia told me. While Octavia potentially knowing Pam did not put me in lethal danger, I found it very odd she was so secretive. If something fishy was not going on then why would she hide the fact that she knew Eric and Pam from the start? What more was she keeping from me? Was the spell book really somehow linked to all of this mess? The cult theory was the only thing tying it all together but my logical brain was having a hard time accepting that. You would think with telepathy I would have a more open mind, apparently not.

I kicked off my shoes by the back door and headed into the kitchen. I was immediately wrapped up in strong arms and lifted off the floor. I was ready to shriek in surprise but the sound was cut off by Eric's lips on mine.

"Good evening" He smiled and set me down on my feet again.

"Hey" I tried to smile up at him but it was weak. I noticed his hair was messy and a slight sunburn on his face. That's right... he had been outside working all day. I completely forgot after my day with Amelia.

"How was your first day?" I tried to sound enthusiastic. I really did care.

"Great! Your brother can be a bit... stubborn at times, but I think I picked everything up fast." He was beaming with pride.

"That's good." I headed to the fridge and took out a bottle of water.

"What's wrong?" His happiness was quickly fading and replaced by concern.

"Amelia told me Pam stopped by the hospital to talk to Octavia." I might as well tell him now, I already ruined his good mood.

"Why? She knows I don't want to go back with her." Eric was not pleased.

We both sat down at the kitchen table. I had my water and Eric had a can of soda.

"I don't know. Amelia said she overheard them talking. Pam was asking if anyone had been sneaking around the hospital and Octavia mentioned putting wards up. Whatever the hell that means... then Amelia went snooping in her office and found some weird book full of Octavia's writing. It looked like a spell book even though that sounds insane..." I looked down at my water and was no longer thirsty.

"Oh... so... what does that mean?" Eric had never seen Pam chatting with Octavia when he was a patient. He was always in his room.

"Well it seems like Octavia knows Pam and you, or at least knows who you are. Pam would always talk to her and no one else. And... Octavia warned me to stay away from you. So somehow you all know each other. I just don't know how." I sighed and put my head in my hands.

"What does the weird book have to do with anything?" Eric didn't miss a beat.

"No idea. The only theory Ames and I came up with is that all of you are in a secret cult that probably practices some creepy shit. That's why everyone is so secretive and it would explain Pam's weird basement. But I know that sounds like some tacky Hollywood movie."

I felt his warm hands cover mine and slowly pull them away from my face.

"Maybe it's not that crazy. I have some pretty weird dreams, what if some of them are memories? Just jumbled up so they make less sense? I don't remember some secret cult meetings. But I've had multiple dreams of being burned and usually there are other people there in the background. Maybe it was some weird ritual... " His eyes wandered to the dark kitchen window. It was a cloudy night and impossible to even see the yard in the darkness. "I just don't know, but whatever my life was before I'm not interested in it. Seems like it was just dark and strange."

I couldn't argue with him there.

"We can't do anything about this tonight." I stood up and headed towards the cabinets. "So how about we forget it for awhile and eat?" We did not have enough information to figure any of this out tonight.

"Sounds like a plan." He smiled and reached over me to grab the box of pasta I was trying to get on the top shelf.

"Now tell me about your day again, I was a little distracted the first time." I got to work on making lasagna while Eric filled me in.

I found out he worked with Jason on a drainage ditch alongside one of the parish roads. They butted heads a few times when Eric thought of a faster way to do something. Jason was stubborn and would not want to admit he could be doing something differently. But overall it sounded like they managed to get along mostly because Eric learned the best way to get Jason to listen, was to make him think it was his idea in the first place. Eric was definitely smart and I knew that but from the way he spoke it was obvious he had a natural understanding of how to adapt his behavior to work with other people. He never complained about being tired but I could tell his first day had taken its toll. He was sunburned on his nose and cheeks, had a few scratches on his forearms from briars, and was moving a tad slower than normal.

The conversation continued throughout dinner and Eric ate three full helpings faster than I ate my one. We ended up collapsing on the couch in our pajamas like the tired old people we were tonight. American Pickers was on and neither of us had the energy to change the channel. So we settled in and watched a few episodes. I must have fallen asleep at some point. When I woke up I was lying on top of Eric, my head on his chest. I could tell he was asleep by his breathing. There was the quiet patter of rain on the roof, then bright headlights cast a glaring glow into the living room.

What the hell? It had to be at least midnight and I lived a ways off the road. That meant someone was in my driveway. Eric stirred beneath me when the light his face. He squinted and sat up some.

"What is that?"

"Headlights... someone is here." I whispered nervously. What if someone was here for Eric? I got up and he quickly followed. I bolted for the coat closet I kept my brother's old shotgun in. Then headlights shut off leaving us in complete darkness. Eric slammed into my back as he was following me.

"Sorry" He reached out to make sure I was steady on my feet. Once our eyes adjusted to the dim light I found the closet and took the gun out.

"I didn't know you had that." Eric reached over, loaded and cocked the gun in seconds. So he knew how to use guns but not condoms? "Stay right behind me."

I listened to him and we both crept towards the front door. My heart was pounding in my chest. Eric stopped moving and was focused on something outside the window. We were right by the door, carefully peering through the curtains on the window when I noticed the movement he must have seen. There was a shadowy figure at the base of the steps. In the darkness I could not make out the person's features or hear anything over the rain. Whoever it was, was of small stature and probably shorter than me. I wanted to run out and find out who it was but I was also curious as to what they would do.

Eric reached back with his free hand and pulled me closer to him. I rested my hand on his back while I looked over his shoulder. That seemed to satisfy his need to know where I was. We watched in silence as the stranger moved their hands a few times, sprinkled something on the ground, then made their way back to their car. They got in and once again the headlights flooded the front of the house. Eric and I ducked down below the window as the light came through the windows of the house. Once it faded we stood up again. I watched the taillights of the car move down my driveway. The shape looked familiar and one of them was busted. I had an inkling as to who was just at my house.

"Lets see what's outside." Eric said and opened the door. We walked out into the rain with bare feet and onto my muddy driveway. I took the shotgun from him as he leaned down to inspect what our visitor left behind.

"It looks like... crumpled up leaves and, something else. It smells like garlic." Whatever it was had been rained on already and covered in mud.

Eric stood up and held his palm out and I could see the muddy leaves and smelled the garlic. What the hell was going on here. I looked to Eric and could see the rain had soaked his hair and through the white t-shirt he had on. The water was running in tiny rivers down his skin. I probably looked like a drowned rat at this point. I didn't have time to care though.

"Eric, I think I know who that was." I felt like I was yelling over the rain.

He stood motionless in the rain, waiting for my declaration of who was our late night visitor.

"It was Octavia." She was slightly shorter than me, and I know her car had a busted taillight from a fender bender two months ago.

**a/n: dun dun DUN! =)**


	13. Chapter 13

**a/n: greetings my lovely readers! Just a warning, this chapter is NSFW if you happen to be being sneaky and reading while there. Don't worry, I do it all the time. I need my FanFic break so my brain doesn't explode from work! Also this is the longest chapter, I really hope you guys like it!**

**Chapter 13**

Eric and I made it back inside chilled to the bone. I put away the shotgun then dragged him straight to the bathroom with me. We were not getting my floors soaked in muddy rain water.

"What was she doing here? She obviously didn't try to come and get me. So Pam didn't send her right?" He reasoned as we stood in the bathroom peeling off our wet clothes. Neither of us was very distracted by the other's body, we were too concerned with what had happened.

"Who knows, I don't know anything anymore Eric. For all I know you were in some voodoo cult and Octavia is convinced she just cast a death spell on us." I never thought of her as a violent person but people could hide a lot from you. I knew that more than anyone. I wish I'd tried to read her thoughts more instead of using my shield all the time.

We got into the shower and I turned the hot water on. It burned my skin at first but soon felt soothing as the heat seeped into my bones. "I'll just pretend we never saw her. I'll act normal at work and try to read her mind the best I can. That's our only advantage."

Eric's arms wrapped around me from behind and he kissed the shell of my ear. "I'm sorry for bringing all of this on you." He whispered.

I turned in his arms and pressed my lips to his chest, both of us relaxing beneath the hot water as steam rose around us. "Not your fault." It really wasn't. He did not choose to bump into me that night outside the hospital and he did not try to look into his past at all. His past seemed to keep haunting us though.

Once the shower had warmed us up again we put on dry clothes to sleep in and went to bed. Well, I put on clothes, Eric put on boxer briefs. I was not going to complain. I pulled up the blankets around us and immediately nestled myself into Eric's side. I buried my face in his neck, breathing in his scent. I wanted to feel safe and right now Eric was the only thing that could make me feel that way. His arms around me and his fingers gently running through my hair lulled me to sleep.

Another month passed with little happening when it came to solving the mystery that was Eric's past. Our routines became regular and sometimes I could almost forget all the strange occurrences with Pam and Octavia. I had not confronted Octavia yet because nothing else had happened and I kept hoping she would slip up in her mind and have some vivid picture of a cult meeting that included Eric months ago. That never happened though. Sometimes I would catch a stray thought about Pam but nothing concrete. If I was being honest with myself I had not really pushed Octavia because part of me did not want to lose Eric and what we had.

I loved having someone to come home to and curl up in bed with. I could tell Eric anything and know that he would keep it to himself. Not because I could read his mind, but because I trusted him. He had never given me a reason to not trust him. Eric was doing well at his construction job for Renard Parish. He did think my brother was not the brightest bulb but somehow they had become friendly with each other. The only thing Eric constantly ragged on Jason about were his one night stands. He seemed to get a kick out of getting my brother all defensive about his man whore ways, only to end it by saying 'if it's so great, how would you like it if I treated your sister that way?' That shut Jason right up every damn time. Yet each time Eric brought the same subject up Jason foolishly fell for it again.

It was rather amusing since I knew Jason did not take it personally. He practically forgot the conversation happened within twenty minutes. Other than that though they were almost friends and I had never expected that. According to Eric, Jason also seemed to be dating someone consistently over the past two weeks. I know that seems like nothing but in Jason's world it was a lifetime. He had invited us over for a barbeque at his house and I guess the mystery girl would be there so I could meet her.

"What are you doing?" I heard Eric's voice behind me.

"Putting on my flip-flops so we can go to Jason's." Wasn't that obvious? I had on denim shorts and a sleeveless white blouse, nothing too fancy for my brother's house. I also planned on grabbing a sweatshirt since the air was getting chilly once the sun started to set. Fall would be here soon.

"We have another twenty minutes, he lives right down the road." I turned to Eric only to find him not dressed.

"Your underwear doesn't count as an outfit ." I smirked and started walking away. I knew where this was headed and I just finished my damn hair.

"Why waste time getting dressed? I'd just be taking it all off again in seconds." He smirked. Stupid man was too tempting for me to actually get angry with him. His skin was an even golden tan from being outside so much and his dirty blonde hair was a shade lighter. It was also much shorter, he got a haircut to get rid of the bangs once he was outside sweating all day. Sometimes I missed the boyish charm they gave him but now he looked all rugged and mouthwatering 24/7. So that was a plus.

"You're awfully confident for someone who is getting left alone in the bedroom." I gave him a cocky smirk right back and turned on my heel for the door.

I didn't escape Eric for long and ended up putting my hair into a ponytail so I didn't have to go style it again. We arrived at Jason's and there was already a line of cars in the driveway. I parked on the grass to make room for any other guests. The lawn was brown and dead so I knew Jason would not care. With fall almost upon us there was no chance of reviving the grass this year. We got out of the car and Eric's hand immediately grabbed mine.

"I wish you could see what a pain in the ass having long hair is. Then maybe you'd wait until we got home to attack." I smiled over at him.

"I have a feeling I would still think it was worth it." Men! There was no reasoning with them, but I think this time I might agree with him.

Eric had on a grey t-shirt, jeans, and his sneakers. I would have insisted he bring a sweatshirt for later but we had not bought him winter clothes yet. We would have to do that soon. He could not live in his wife beater and t-shirts all winter. Luckily he had a steady job now so money would not be an issue like it was last time.

Instead of knocking on the front door I led the way to the backyard where we could hear country music playing. I rounded the corner and immediately spotted Jason at the grill with a blonde girl. She was thin with fair skin and washed out blue eyes that almost looked grey. I had definitely never seen her around town.

"Hey Sook, you want a beer?" Hoyt asked as we passed the cooler full of alcohol he had open.

"Nice to see you Hoyt, no thanks, I'm good. Eric?" I was going to start off with some water or lemonade.

"Sure, what have you got?" Eric asked and I left him to chat with Hoyt for now. If he liked Jason, he loved Hoyt. They worked together most days and Eric liked that Hoyt was a smart but simple man. He knew what his values were and never let my brother pressure him into anything stupid. I loved Hoyt for the same reasons. I was also glad he was mature enough to be kind to Eric even though he used to have an insane crush on me.

"Hey sis! Come over here!" Jason was beckoning me over with a spatula. "I want you to meet someone, this is Crystal, my girlfriend."

My jaw almost dropped to the ground. Thankfully I had some idea he cared about this girl from Eric. However it was still shocking as hell to see Jason committing to someone. I hoped he really was growing up. He had been trying hard to change as of late so maybe this was a step in the right direction.

"Hi, I'm Sookie" She even reached out to shake my hand after saying hello quietly. She seemed shy but that would be good to balance out my brother's overwhelming confidence. I heard footsteps behind me then felt an arm loop around my shoulders. "This is Eric." I pointed up to the giant at my side.

We made small talk for awhile while Jason grilled us some burgers. Overall I liked Crystal and hoped this worked out for them. When I found out she was from Hotshot I assumed that had something to do with how timid she was. I remember for field day one year at Bon Temps Elementary, they invited the Hotshot kids to join us. The adults immediately said no and I remembered all of the teachers thinking how sad it was that those poor kids were kept hidden out there, barely getting to interact with anyone else.

Eric and I sat down at a picnic table near the fishing pond. We were away from everyone else crowded onto the patio. I sat down next to Eric and popped open a can of Coke. I had to have soda with a burger.

"Damn, I should have gotten soda…" Eric muttered and looked unhappy with the second beer he grabbed.

"Oh well, maybe if you get drunk you'll forget about it." I smirked and sipped on my carbonated heaven.

"Or you could share?" He peered over at me with one eyebrow raised.

I shook my head. No way in hell was that working. "You could just get up and grab one for yourself."

"Mmm, maybe… " He leaned closer. "Or I can convince you?"

"Well you can't have sex with me right here and that's about the only thing that will convince me." I gave him a quick peck on the lips and tried to not laugh at his slightly shocked expression.

"You two make me sick." Amelia was practically skipping over to us. She unceremoniously plopped down on the other side of the picnic table. "That's okay though. I'm chasing down Hoyt tonight so I won't have much time to watch you drool over each other." She smiled.

"Seriously? I thought you said he was too nice." Ames usually went after guys that had that dangerous vibe to them. Of course they always ended up being jerks.

"I did. But I've had a change of heart. I figure it's time to try something new." She shrugged. "Now before I begin my mission, any updates?"

I shook my head. "Nothing here, you?"

"Nada, zilch, nothing! Octavia never says anything and I've tried asking her if she knows how Eric is doing with Pam… she just changes the subject." We had been banking on the fact that Octavia might think Amelia was in the dark about all of this and let her guard down around her. Since obviously she knew something was up with me by showing up at my house in the middle of the night.

"Thanks for trying…" Eric said quietly.

"No worries, Sook is in a much better mood now that she has your magic wand in her life. So it does pay off for me." Amelia smiled brightly.

"I'm going to kill you!" I threw the last bit of my burger at her but she ducked out of the way. Eric was laughing beside me.

"Ha! Missed!" She giggled and stood up. "Anyway lets not worry about it tonight, no long faces. Lets all get drunk and have a good time!" She squealed and jogged back up to the patio, where she immediately found Hoyt and started chatting him up.

I sighed and gathered up my trash. Amelia was right. We should just have fun tonight and forget about our worries. For some reason it felt like my time with Eric was limited so living in the moment seemed that much more important.

"Come on, lets go join the party." I grabbed his hand and we headed to the patio where everyone else was gathered. For a couple hours everyone was chatting and late arrivals were eating dinner. The light had faded from the sky and now the darkness replaced it, stars twinkling in the distance. I talked to my old boss Sam Merlotte for awhile and it sounded like he was doing really well. My childhood best friend Tara was there as well and we ended up wasting an hour catching up.

"So you still work with Sam?" We were standing at the edge of the patio near the hot tub Jason had recently installed. No one had gotten into it yet.

"Yeah, we've actually been dating for awhile too. I'm finally happy." She looked over at Sam with affection. I was excited for her. Tara had a rough time growing up, she deserved to be happy. It also seemed her love for Sam had softened her rough edges.

"So where is this new guy I've heard about? First I heard someone in Merlotte's drooling over the new road crew guy, then I heard he was already claimed by you." She grinned. Bon Temps folk loved to gossip at the local watering hole.

"Um…" I searched the crowded patio and spotted him taking a shot with Hoyt and Jason. He was definitely going to be drunk.

"Right there, next to Hoyt and Jason." I raised my hand to point him out.

"What? Tall, blonde, and hot as hell? That's your guy?" Tara's eyes were glued to him.

"uh, yeah?" How was I supposed to respond to that?

"Shit Sook, good work girl! That is one nice looking man." Tara was nodding her approval and still ogling Eric. She abruptly stopped when he looked over at us and started walking towards me.

"Hello lover" He purred and pinned me against the edge of the hot tub. Tara looked at me with raised eyebrows then started nodding her approval. "I don't think I've met your friend." He said without ever glancing in Tara's direction, his piercing blue eyes staring down at me.

"This is Tara, Tara meet my very drunk Eric." I grinned and rolled my eyes at her.

"I'm not drunk!" He exclaimed. "And it's nice to meet you." Eric finally looked at Tara and smiled.

"Well, I'm gonna leave you two to it. I gotta find Sam anyway." She chuckled and walked towards the throng of people.

There were a lot of people flooding my brother's backyard. I wonder if he even invited them all. A good party in Bon Temps was pretty rare so people always invited friends, who in turn invited their friends. The country music was now blasting out of the stereo speakers and I could see people dancing to it. I heard a splash and looked to my right, spotting people jumping into the pond for a swim. Were they nuts? It was too cold for that! Most of them were drunk so I guess it didn't matter. I spotted Amelia by the edge of the pond with Hoyt and it looked like he was pretending to throw her in. Yep, she had him hooked already.

"We should make use of the hot tub." Eric started kissing my neck.

"Hmm, no…" I wanted to but I had no bathing suit with me.

"Why not? I'll make sure you stay nice and warm." He was doing a good job of trying to convince me. I felt his hands slide into the back of my shorts, thank god my back was to the hot tub.

"I have a feeling my brother would not enjoy watching you grope me in his new hot tub." I giggled as the stubble on his chin tickled my neck.

"Then lets go home. We'll have more fun alone." He husky voice was more than enough to convince me. I yelled goodnight to Jason and we made our way home.

The second we were inside Eric was pulling his shirt off and I was doing the same. We were in a rush after sitting in the car thinking about what we would do the second we got here. Eric's hand between my legs most of the drive didn't help my patience much either. As he started unbuttoning his jeans I debated on if wanted him in my mouth first. I quickly decided since we did that before the party when he attacked me, I was too impatient now.

He was quickly turning me into a sex addict, I swear. I had never felt this burning need before. I would always wonder if it was like this all the time for normal people who never had someone's thoughts screaming in their mind.

Eric only had his jeans half undone when he grabbed me and plastered his mouth to mine, wasting no time pushing his tongue past my parted lips. I moaned and melted into his embrace. His fingers roughly wove into my hair and tilted my face up to give him better access. This was the one downfall of Eric's height, it was hard too kiss him too long standing up. I pushed my weight against him and Eric got the point without me saying a word. We slowly backed towards the couch until he was sitting down on it.

I climbed on top of him, straddling his waist. His fingers moved up my spine until he reached my bra and undid the clasp easily. That article of clothing went flying and his large hands gently massaged my breasts. One of the best things about sex with Eric so far was that he was aggressive at the right times, but knew when to not be so rough. I hated it when men started off so amped up I had bruises on my boobs from one touch.

I arched my back, leaning into his hands that seemed to perfectly mold to my flesh. I rubbed my center against his growing erection when his mouth locked onto my nipple.

"Sookie" He growled as I rubbed against him with more force this time. I was ready to go, desperate for friction where I needed it most.

I reached down between us and finished unzipping his pants. My hands moved to his shoulders, pushing him against the back of the couch. I stood up long enough to get rid of the rest of my clothes and pulled Eric's jeans halfway down his thighs. It was good enough for now, I was a woman in need damn it. Eric's eye were on fire as he watched my every move. I leaned down until I saw him tense as my breath hit the tip of his cock. My tongue darted out, swirling around his tip before closing my lips around him and sucking.

"Get up here, now." He groaned and I was more than happy to follow his command.

I moved back to straddling him and when the head of his cock brushed against my folds I realized the condoms were in the bedroom.

Screw it.

I was on birth control and from what I had seen in the time I'd known Eric he had no diseases. As a nurse I knew this was not the best logic and I should be waiting longer and have him tested to determine he was truly disease free. But, well, sometimes hormones just take control.

My hand snaked between us and I lined him up with my opening before slowly sinking down on him. The sensation of skin on skin was amazing and I thought Eric was going to come right that second by the look on his face. His hands tightened on my hips as I sank lower until I had taken all of him in. I watched his chest heave with each breath he took, obviously trying to keep control of himself. For the first time I waited for Eric's signal to move. When he flexed his hips I responded in turn. We were both already moaning from the new sensation of sex without a condom between us. I doubted we would last long but it would be fucking amazing.

Eric leaned forward and captured my lips in a heated kiss as I started ride him. Our pace was steady and I quickly became out of breath. His mouth moved to my bouncing breasts which seemed to have him mesmerized. I was already close and gasped when I felt his fingers between us, rubbing circles against my nub. I came violently, my fingers digging into Eric's shoulders as I pressed myself against him. I could feel him still flexing his hips beneath me, causing just enough friction to extend my orgasm. He was still hard inside of me and definitely not done.

Eric flipped us so I was on my back on the couch. I don't know how he moved so gracefully with his jeans still half on. I was breathless and flushed beneath him. He locked his arms on either side of me and began thrusting into me again. I moved with him, tilting my hips up to get him even deeper. The slight change in position caused him to hit that perfect spot inside of me and my entire body shuddered. Eric noticed and one of his hands slid under my lower back, to keep me in that position. I was going to get my third orgasm of the day in no time.

His thrusts started to come quicker and I knew he was close. Eric's eyes were on mine, piercing right through me.

"Come for me." He breathed in that husky voice. That was all it took and I came undone, my fingers gripping his butt this time. Poor guy was going to have some scratches.

Eric groaned and his body tensed. I felt him come inside of me, his warm seed spilling into me. It was an entirely different feeling to have him fill me in so many ways but a very good one. He collapsed on top of me in a sweaty heap. We laid there in silence for awhile until our breathing returned to normal.

I was running my fingers through his hair, while he used my boobs as pillows. I felt completely relaxed in Eric's presence, his warm skin against mine and feeling each breath he took. I couldn't see myself ever wanting anyone else.

He lightly kissed my skin before pushing himself up some on his elbows so his face was above mine again. He kissed me slowly, his lips moving gently over mine.

"I love you Sookie." His words were quiet but his eyes were locked onto mine.

My breath caught in my chest for a second.

"You don't have to say anything back, I just wanted you to know. I love you for everything that you are, and I want to always be here for you." He seemed so certain and relaxed about his statement. I could his heartbeat was steady against my own racing one.

I knew it was crazy, insane even, but so was our entire relationship so far. Logically I would say you could not love someone in such a short amount of time, knowing so little about them. But the way Eric made me feel was suddenly bursting out of my chest at his confession. I had not expected it to be there, let alone be so overwhelming.

"I love you too." I gave him a small smile, my fingers running down the stubble on his cheek. If Eric wanted to be here for me, I would always want him.

Hours later I was exhausted. Eric had worn me out and I planned on sleeping in. So I had no idea why he was awake right now with his face buried in my neck.

"Eriiiic..." I mumbled and tried to roll away from him. Twice since we got back home wasn't enough for him? Geesh...

His grip on me was like a steel cage though and he did not let me go anywhere. I felt his nose at my collarbone first, then ghosting across my neck. He paused there and I could hear his deep breathing. My hands pushed on his shoulders. I wanted to sleep damn it! He only pulled me closer and... growled at me? I heard Eric growl before when we were having sex but it more like a throaty groaning sound. This, what I was hearing right now and feeling vibrating from deep in his chest, was an animalistic growl. You know, the kind you hear a wolf make when the zookeeper gets too close to its food.

"Eric, cut it out!" I whisper yelled at him and gave his chest a good shove. He finally leaned back and my scream got stuck in my throat. Eric hovered over me, his lips curled up into a snarl, and by the light of the moon I could see sharp fangs glistening.

**a/n: How's that for a cliffie? *evil laugh* The point of most of this chapter was to show how they had really settled into a normal life. Eric isn't known by any of Sookie's friends ahead of time in this story and since he was human he actually fit in her life pretty damn well. He also isn't quite as timid anymore since he had adjusted to the situation. He still had weird dreams and all of that stuff mentioned before but he mentioned it less to Sookie since it wasn't going to change anything in his mind. BUT now... well, I guess we will have to see what happens since Eric is all vamp again! Will he remember Sookie at all? How the hell is she going to handle realizing vampires are actually real, and Eric is one?**

**Random side note, I had to make Tara happy. I actually like her character in the tv series. She can be crazy sometimes but she actually reacts like a normal person would considering all she has been through. So for once Tara gets to just be happy.**


	14. Chapter 14

**a/n: WOW, wow, wow! I can't say it enough! You guys blew my mind with all of the reviews last chapter! Thank you so much, it's so amazing to know so many people are reading my work and care about my characters. You guys are the best! Now...let's see what happens after that major cliff hanger!**

**Chapter 14**

I was frozen. Everything in me was telling me to scream but my body was not listening. Eric was staring down at me and I no longer recognized him. His eyes were cold and his gaze predatory. The snarl was still rumbling from his chest, his hands on either side of my head so his arms blocked my escape. Most of his weight was on me anyway so I had no chance. This was a nightmare, it had to be. I shut my eyes and willed myself to wake up. Nothing happened. I opened one eye then the next and the evil version of Eric was still there, his face inches from mine.

This was a dream, I would wake up soon…I shut my eyes again and this time I felt Eric's newfound fangs scraping against my neck. Fuck! I wasn't waking up. Somewhere in my mind I thought this was in fact still a dream but for now it felt real enough to try and push for my own survival.

I wiggled around and tried to escape him but that only seemed to make him angry. Eric growled again and pinned my arms against my sides with his hands. Once again I could feel his sharp teeth against my skin. He was going to bite me. Was he going to try and eat me? Or drain all the blood out of me? I had no idea what kind of monster he was, I just knew he was a monster I had to get away from.

"E-eric, please! Don't kill me…" My voice cracked as I held back a sob. I could feel the tears burning the backs of my eyes.

I felt the pressure of his fangs on my neck lighten but he did not move.

"….Sookie…" His voice was hoarse and uncertain, muffled against my skin. When he finally raised his head to look me in the eye, I wondered if he even recognized me. He seemed confused and definitely still debating on whether or not he wanted to take a bite out of me.

Then there was a pounding at the door and I heard a female voice. "Eric!"

In a flash Eric was off of me and gone. He moved so fast I couldn't even see him. I sat there in shock for a few minutes. What the fuck just happened? I recognized Pam's voice outside and slowly got up. I pulled on my robe and on shaky legs went towards the front door. I should have been running for my life but I had to know what the hell was happening. What had happened to Eric?

"You're back" I heard Pam and it sounded like she was crying. When I finally got close enough to see out the front door I gasped. She was standing on my porch with Eric, who only had on a pair of gym shorts. His arms were wrapped tightly around her and I could see trails of blood running down her cheeks. I was ready to pass out. What was going on?

"I am my child. I am sorry to have ever left you." Eric kissed her forehead and tilted her face towards his to wipe the bloody tears from her eyes.

"What the fuck?" I finally stammered.

Eric's eyes met mine and I could not begin to identify all of the emotions swirling in them. Not only was he some kind of monster, but he had changed in every way. He held himself differently and the way he walked towards me with such a commanding presence caused me to back away. I thought I saw hurt flash across his face for a second but it was quickly covered up.

"Sookie, I have regained my memories. I am restored to what I once was." Even the way he worded things sounded different, formal. One thing stuck out in that sentence: he remembered. My heart pounded and crushed into a million pieces.

"W-why is she still out there?" I could see Pam on my front porch still. She was just standing there and not moving a muscle.

"She can only come in if you invite her." Eric stated but made no attempt to make me invite her inside.

"What the hell? How does that make any sense? What's going on?" I was backed up against my living room wall. I noticed Eric's fangs were gone. Had I imagined them?

"Sookie… I am not-"

"Eric!" Pam cut him off. "You know you can't. We have to go, just glamour her." Well so much for the crying, the commanding bitch was back.

Eric looked from Pam to me a few times. He seemed uncertain to do whatever she said. I had no idea what a 'glamour' was, maybe some freaky cult term? I was too speechless to ask. He finally took a few steps closer and his eyes locked onto mine.

"Sookie, you will remember nothing of my time here. You will not remember myself, Pam, or anything you have seen tonight. It will be as if I never existed." His voice remained steady as he spoke and I felt myself crumbling to pieces. "Do you understand?"

"I…." I had no idea what to say. Apparently the second Eric got his memories back he no longer wanted me. Maybe he had a family, or a psycho cult to get back to. But there was one thing I had to know before I let him disappear from my life forever. "Why did you have fangs?" My voice shook with fear.

Eric's face went from puzzled to shocked. He stared at me again and this time I felt a strange pressure in my head. I rubbed my temples to try and will the discomfort away. While I was busy doing that Eric repeated the same statement. Geez, did he really need to rub salt in my wounds?

"Got it this time?" Pam asked.

"Yes, just a little rusty I suppose." Eric eyed me suspiciously then the both of them sped out my front door faster than a speeding car.

I collapsed in a useless heap and cried. What had I just seen? Were monsters real, with fangs and super speed? All of this time that's what Eric's life truly was? I had a million questions about everything I had seen. But there was only one thing I knew for certain and it was that Eric no longer wanted me. He wanted me to pretend he never existed and it was like a knife through my heart. Was I afraid of him now? Of course I was! I was not an idiot. But I had loved him, just told him I loved him for God's sake! No matter how insane the situation was it always hurt to lose someone you loved. It hurt even more to know they did not want you to remember them or any of the memories you shared. I fell asleep on my living room floor that night after crying until I had no tears left.

When I woke up the sun was streaming through my open front door. It was confirmation that last night was real, as was my sore body. I pushed myself up and trudged over to shut the door. Thank god they did not come back since I left it open like that. I quickly locked it and headed for the kitchen. My movements were robotic as I made coffee and collapsed at the table with a steaming mug. It was noon time but I didn't care about eating or getting dressed.

After a few sips my mind started to work again and I went over everything I remembered from last night. I went to the barbeque with Eric, he got drunk so I drove home, and we had some amazing sex. He told me he loved me and always wanted to be here. Then I woke up in the middle of the night and he had fangs. I remembered clearly how they glistened in the dim moonlight and the growl that erupted from his chest when I tried to get away. He almost bit me, then Pam showed up with blood coming out of her eyes. Eric was obviously very close with her in his real life and then he proceeded to break my heart and leave. That about summed it up. Well they left at like Superman speed… but I was still processing that part.

I had the day off and spent it at home drowning in self-pity. I took the one photo I had of the two of us, and tucked it away in my bureau. It was a picture I had taken on my cell phone and then printed. Eric had just gotten his haircut and we were standing outside the barber shop, making silly faces at the camera. He had his Renard Parish Road Crew shirt on since he had just gotten out of work. That was all gone though, I reminded myself. Eric did not want me to even think of him.

As the day wore on I kept uselessly hoping he would walk through the door with Jason, trying to mooch dinner off of me. I wanted this to be a bad dream, or at the very least for Eric to come back and tell me he cared, and to explain all of this insanity. That never happened and as darkness fell I tried to busy myself with making dinner. I barely ate a thing then went to bed early after trying to watch some television. My sleep was restless and I awoke the next day feeling exhausted. I had to go to work and forced myself into the shower.

Once I arrived I deflated even more the second I realized Amelia was not on the shift this evening. Octavia was the only one working with me besides the night janitor. I was quiet all evening and barely spoke a word as I tended to my patients. even tried to flirt with me some but it barely earned a reaction from me. Octavia noticed my lackluster attitude and haggard appearance.

"Sookie, are you alright?" She asked softly while we were both sitting behind the front desk.

"I'm fine." I replied and tried to sound like I meant it. I could feel her eyes on me.

"You look pale. Are you getting sick?"

"No I just did not sleep well last night." I shrugged and Octavia suddenly grabbed my arm and dragged me into her office.

"What the hell?" I pulled my arm free as she shut the door behind us.

"I knew it.." She muttered and started pacing.

"Knew what?" She was strong for an old lady, my arm hurt.

"I knew that blood sucker was going to hurt you the second he had a chance, then force you to forget…" She went to her desk and started rifling through her drawers.

"What? Octavia what's going on?" I put my hand over hers to stop her digging around. Finally I did what I had been afraid of for months. I dug into her brain for any thoughts I could find. "What do you know?"

_Maybe I should have told her, maybe it would have stopped him. But then they'd all be after me if I shared their secret._

"Shared whose secret?" Octavia was as stressed as me since she didn't even notice I was questioning her thoughts.

"The vampires." She whispered and her fearful eyes finally locked onto mine.

Holy. Shit.

That explained the fangs and why he wanted to bite me. It potentially explained the freaky speed Eric and Pam had. I let go of her hand since she finally seemed to be opening up. I'd rather ask her than dig around her brain. But if I had to force it out of her with my telepathy I would.

"Explain Octavia" I demanded and locked the office door for good measure.

"I thought I could protect you and myself without telling you Sookie. I'm sorry." She ran her hands over her face and looked ready to cry. I sat down in the one other chair in her office.

"Please just explain it to me now."

"I knew who Eric was the second he stepped foot into this hospital with you. I also knew he was going to bring us a world of trouble. I am a witch, which makes me a part of the supernatural community. That's how I know all of this." She explained and dug out the spell book Amelia and I had found over a month ago.

"Once Eric showed up here I recognized him immediately. He's well known in the supernatural world. I called his second in command, Pam, hoping she would just take him away and they could deal with his memory loss and newfound human traits." She shook her head. "But of course that didn't happen…she wanted him here where his enemies would never expect to find him. "

"How did he lose his memory, and become human?" I was having a hard time believing any of this, but I saw his fangs with my own eyes.

"Pam has been hunting down who did this to him for months and I got dragged into it as well. She found out it was a powerful witch that Eric angered somehow, so she cast a spell to turn him human. We assumed the memory loss was actually a mistake, since the spell was meant to humiliate him and make him feel weak. Eric Northman is a powerful vampire so being turned human would be a great punishment." Octavia made eye contact with me. "I'm sorry Sookie. I thought I could protect you."

"Is that why you showed up at my house that night?" This sort of made sense now.

"Yes, I was putting up a ward to keep out any beings with evil intent towards you… or Eric, since he was staying with you."

"How did you know that?" I should have felt like a fool, taking in a patient and falling in love with him.

"Pam told me he refused to leave your side. I don't like that vampire one bit, but I could tell it was hard for her to see Eric choose someone else over her." Octavia sighed and tucked the spell book back into her desk.

"Um, Amelia knows about your spell book too…. She found it." I did not want to rat out my friend but it seemed like Octavia had honestly been trying to help this entire time. It was probably best if we were all honest with each other.

Octavia sighed for what seemed like the millionth time then nodded. "Okay, I will have to speak with her as well."

"Octavia, what else is out there that I don't know about?" If vampires existed then what the hell else was real?

She did not say anything and I could tell she was going to try and fight me on this. However I wanted to know what the heck I was dealing with. I placed my hand over hers again in what probably seemed like a comforting gesture.

_You don't want to know. So many things… things I wish I didn't know. Vampires, werewolves, shifters, demons… _

"Holy shit… werewolves? Demons?" I pulled back.

"How did you do that? How do you know? I didn't say anything." Octavia noticed this time. I wasn't really trying to hide it. I was going to use my telepathy to my advantage so she knew she couldn't keep important things from me. I wanted the truth.

"I might not be 100% normal either…. I can read people's minds." I whispered. "But please don't tell anyone Octavia, no one but Amelia knows." And Eric… but I kept that to myself for now.

"Oh my goodness! How long have you been able to do that?" She watched me with wonder.

"As long as I can remember. I can block people's thoughts out most of the time, so it's not like I'm listening into everything you do. I have to purposely try to listen in. I don't do that often, I try to respect people's privacy." I explained and my boss looked amazed as well as bewildered.

Once Octavia discovered that little factoid she was much more willing to fill me in on this hidden supernatural world. We spent another hour in her office and she tried to explain how all of this had always existed but remained hidden from the human world. She emphasized that I was to tell no one, my knowing was already risking my life. I wanted to ask more about Eric specifically but there just wasn't the time. We had work to do still. By the time I went home that night I at least had a decent idea of what a vampire really was.

I locked all of my doors before going to sleep and rescinded Eric's invitation into my home. Part of me ached as I said the words but Octavia said those words would keep vampires out of my house. I was food to them and nothing more. As I curled up in bed I knew sleep would be a battle. Flashes of Eric snarling with fangs kept me awake and tense. What if he came back? What if that invitation crap did not really work?

My entire world had been turned upside down and now the cult idea seemed like a pleasant fairytale.

The following morning my phone was ringing off the hook.

"Hello?" I answered groggily.

"Sookie! Octavia left me a weird voicemail, what's going on?"

I told Amelia to come over and I would explain. She arrived fifteen minutes later with two fresh coffees and some muffins. We sat down at my table. I proceeded to explain the chaotic past couple days to her. Her eyes were wide as I finished, ending with my last conversation with Octavia.

"But you can't tell anyone Ames, for all of our safety." Sometimes Amelia needed to be reminded of such things.

"Wow…. Just…wow." She shook her head and took another gulp of coffee. "So Eric is one of them? Damn…."

"I know" I let my face fall into my hands. "I never should have let myself get close to him. Even if he was normal he was bound to remember his life and leave me behind. I'm such an idiot."

"Sookie don't say that. You took a risk and yes it was a little…extreme, but you had more reason than most people to go for it. Eric was silent to you. You can't blame yourself for wanting a chance at a real relationship. I certainly don't." Amelia squeezed my hand and I could tell her thoughts matched her words. I had a good friend here.

"You think all vampires are like that? No thoughts?"

"I have no idea, maybe. I never heard Pam's but I also never tried very hard." I shrugged.

"Octavia said they're immortal? How old do you think Eric really is?" Ames was full of very good questions. None of which I had the answer to.

"I don't know, seventy, a hundred?" Eric could technically be an old man.

"He didn't even seem sad to leave you? I get that he remembers his life now, but you guys seemed so happy together." She emptied her coffee with a frown.

"Nope, it was like he just wanted to forget he was ever human or knew me." My voice cracked and I could feel tears stinging my eyes. Amelia immediately came over and hugged me.

I spent the rest of the day with Amelia eating junk food and watching chick flicks. It was a nice little escape from the scary reality we were living in these days. I might have fallen for a monster but I still needed a normal recovery with girl time and cheesy movies.

**a/n: I know this had a TON of dialogue, but Sookie had a lot of catching up to do on the supe world! I'm hoping you guys will like the next chapter, it will be the first one in this entire story from Eric's POV. Please review, review! =)**


	15. Chapter 15

**a/n: I apologize for the super long delay with posting this chapter. I recently lost a family member, so that brought everything to a screeching halt for quite awhile. I haven't forgotten this story though! I hope some of my readers are still around. =) Here is the long awaited chapter from Eric's POV!**

**Chapter 15**

**EPOV**

I was vampire once again. My memories of a thousand years worth of living had returned to me. Yet the most vivid ones were from my last few months of life, surprisingly spent as a human. Once we arrived back at my home Pam explained all that had happened. A witch named Hallow had tried to strike a business deal with me months ago and tried to include sex in the bargain. It was a horrid business deal in which I would have lost money and she was a sad excuse for a woman. I snubbed her and the curse was my punishment. However once Pam captured and tortured her brother he was pissed to discover I lost my memories as well. That was not supposed to be part of the spell. He finally gave up his sister's location and Pam slaughtered him with glee.

Then she found his sister and tortured her until she reversed the spell. Pam being my faithful child, kept Hallow alive so I could kill her myself. In fact that was where I was headed right now. The darkness of the bar basement did not hinder my sight in the least. If I was human I would have been tripping over my own feet, in fact I had done exactly that only days ago. I shook off those thoughts. I had no time to dwell on my brief stint as a human man. I had business to take care of.

Pam had locked Hallow up in the basement of a bar we were renovating. There were plans to open it as a vampire bar someday, if the plan to come out to humans ever happened. For now it was an empty building with a great basement for torture. I reached the bottom of the steps and strode up to Hallow. She was chained to the wall, her arms in cuffs above her head. There was dried blood all over her fair skin which was covered in sweat and dirt. She was weak and her breathing shallow.

"Good evening" I reached out and prodded her with a metal poker. She gasped and her eyes flew open.

"Bastard" She hissed at me, her dull green eyes narrowing.

"Bitch" I smirked back. "Did you really think you could best me? I am a thousand years old, I am more powerful than you could ever dream of being. Your childish behavior has resulted in the death of your entire coven, including your brother." This woman was a fool to think my child would not retaliate, or my followers.

"You arrogant-" Her words were cut off as blood bubbled up her throat and out of her mouth. I twisted the metal poker I had just stabbed into her chest.

"I do not want to hear another word out of you." I muttered then ripped the tool out of her flesh. I would not chance drinking her blood since it could be cursed as well. Pulling out my cell phone, I sent a quick text to Chow so he would come dispose of the body.

I was hungry though and darted upstairs with blood on the brain.

"She's taken care of."

"Good, I was sick of listening to that bitch whine all fucking night." Pam led the way out the back door of the bar.

"Thank you for not giving up on me Pamela." I used her full name so she knew I was serious. My child had a snappy little attitude on her, most of the time I loved it. We were standing in the back lot of the bar and she turned to face me.

"You know I could never do that." Her eyes spoke much more than her voice ever would. Our bond was deep and something very few would ever understand. "Now let's get some fucking pussy." She gave me a fangy grin. That was my child.

"As you wish" I smirked and we jetted off into the night.

Hours later I had glamoured and fed on some woman I found at a nearby pub. Unlike Pam I did not take my food home with me to play. In the past that would have been a perfect way to spend my night. However my thoughts were still with the tiny blonde that had taken care of me during my time as a human. I flew out to her house and hovered a good distance away in the night sky. I could see the lights on in her home.

Everything was familiar. I remembered walking up to the door like a lost puppy, asking for her to give me a chance when I had no one else. She let me in and took care of me, the same as she had when I was a patient at that hospital she worked in. My time at the hospital seemed so distant compared to the vivid memories of being in her home. I could recall feeling the heat of the sun on my skin as I helped paint her porch, or the sweat dripping down my back as I worked on the road crew with her dim-witted brother. I enjoyed the food she cooked, the sound of her laughter, and the warmth of her body each night we fell asleep.

These were all things I had not experienced in such a way in a thousand years. For the second and definitely last time, I was just a human man. I had a heartbeat, breathed, could spend hours in the sun, and fall asleep at night next to someone.

I spotted movement in the house and noticed Sookie getting ready for work. Something tightened in my chest as I watched her wipe at her face with tissues. Tears, they were still falling from the corners of her eyes. I remembered making love to this woman and telling her that I loved her. Did I still feel that? Or were those just the feeble emotions of a human man? That I was not sure of but I did know one thing: Sookie Stackhouse was a telepath and my glamour had not worked on her.

This was a troublesome thought but rather than try to kill her I soared back towards my home in Shreveport. I did not call Pam again that night. She had her own home nearby and I felt like being alone. I needed time to process. However I was not given that time as there was soon a knock on my door.

"What is it?" I questioned in a bored tone as Chow stepped inside.

"There is a long list of vampires with grievances, or seeking entry into area 5 since your… departure."

I grumbled a few curses and told him to follow me to my office. I did not miss the political bullshit during the last few months. It was something I would always have to deal with and now I was behind. When Chow started going over all that I had missed I realized I had a lot of work to do. If Chow knew of this much crap I could only imagine the list Pam had for me. I knew they had pretended I was helping my maker heal from silver poisoning to explain my absence, so no one tried to take over my territory. That left me with a shit ton of work to do. It looked like I was starting tonight.

A couple of weeks later things were finally starting to settle down in Area 5. I had gone through all of the vampires seeking entrance to the area and dealt with numerous grievances that were usually ridiculous. Some were about stolen pets, others about conflicts with werewolves. All of it was unimportant and solved rather quickly. I was beginning to find my life to be more mundane than before. I was bored by my job as usual but now I could not even find interest in food or women. After two very lackluster fucks I settled on feeding only. Even that I only did as necessary which was not too often considering my age.

Pam could tell I was not the same. Hell, before I could have been with a different woman every night and still not be satisfied. I took great pleasure in feeding as often as I wished. But now it all seemed less attractive. She had not questioned me yet because it had only been two weeks. She assumed I was still settling into my life again, I could sense it through our bond. However I was starting to suspect there was a different answer to my problems. When I returned home to die for the day every morning my last few thoughts were about the petite blonde human who had helped me when I was lost.

Instead of looking back on my time as a human with disgust, I discovered I missed it. I missed her. The one thing keeping me from ever seeking her out was my secret life. I was a vampire and I could not risk being around a human that could not be glamoured. At the moment she probably brushed it off as thinking she was dreaming when seeing my fangs briefly. If I tried to return to her she would notice my cold skin, how I never ate, and only came around at night. It would never work with how secretive my kind was. Another fact was that she would probably be petrified of me. I clearly remembered the fear in her eyes and voice the last night I was there.

So I tried harder to force myself back into my life. I tended to business in my area and always remained aware of the growing movement to make our presence known. I used to be completely against vampires going public but lately I found myself weighing the benefits of it. I had yet to tell Pam or anyone in my area that these annoying thoughts were flitting about my mind. I used to be a cold-hearted and logical being. Yet now I was letting my feelings affect my decision to go against or support the movement.

All of this revolved around Sookie Stackhouse, a human nurse from Bon Temps. There were things about her I would have valued if I met her before ever being cursed. Her telepathy for one and I surely would have be interested in her physically… probably for nothing more than a few nights entertainment though. Yet since I had spent all of that time with her I did not take advantage of her ability. Instead I told no one and refused to go bother her for such a reason. She could not be glamoured therefore it was pointless to try and involve her in our world for her telepathy, that was the excuse my mind came up with. However I knew how she felt about it. She wanted to be normal therefore going to see her just to use her for that purpose bothered me.

Every night I spent my time alone when I was not working. My mind drifted to my short time with Sookie and even though it killed every ounce of pride I had to admit it, I missed it.

"Eric, lets go." Pam strode in like she owned the place.

"Since when do you command me?" I raised an eyebrow at her from behind my desk. I was sitting in my small home office.

"Since you've become boring as fuck." She said as if she was stating the obvious. My child was lucky we got along so well otherwise I would not tolerate her bullshit. "Now let's go."

"Where?" I still had my feet up on the desk.

"Out! Feeding, fucking, you know what we used to spend every night doing?" She was obviously agitated.

"You will be fine finding food and entertainment without me Pam." I had seen her do it millions of times before. Pam was independent. It was one of the attractive traits that first caught my eye over a hundred years ago.

"What's with you?" She snarled. I could tell she was at the end of her rope with me. If I was in her shoes, I would be pissed off as well.

"Nothing, I have business to tend to." I stood up and flew out of the house in a rush. In fact I had nowhere to be and turned down a perfect opportunity to hunt with one of the only vampires close to me.

I jetted off into the night with no real direction and wasted an hour or two in the night sky. Eventually I ended up in the familiar, quiet air just above Bon Temps. Below me I could see one of the roads Jason and the road crew must still be working on during the day. I had spent hours with that crew setting up hay bales and fencing so water would drain out properly once construction began. It felt like a different person was down there working amongst those men. Normally I would scoff at them and insist I was above them all. I would also find their line of work to be demeaning since I was Eric Northman, sheriff of Area 5.

My thousand years as a vampire had slowly pushed me up the political ladder in our world and as I ranked up the years I rarely had to do any work like that. I had all of the vampires below me, or hired weres to do that type of thing. I never once thought about how doing something yourself could give you more pride than knowing you had the power to tell someone else to do it. I was so used to enjoying my status and power in my world… I was beginning to realize I had been very stuck in my own ways.

Did I let the power of immortality infect my mind and values?

I kept flying and soon could see Sookie's house in the distance, set off the road and nestled into the woods.

During my original human days I remembered being proud to have built my own home. I felt great pride in bringing home food I had hunted for myself, seeing the relief on my family's faces that we would live another week. I had also enjoyed the status of being the son of the village leader and eventually leading myself. But I always had my family to balance things out and back then even the village chief had to get his hands dirty. I was starting to realize my brief time as a human man had taught me a hard lesson, one that was having a hard time sinking in.

Without knowing it I had let my immortality change my way of thinking and what mattered. I no longer bothered to try and make someone smile or laugh. I did not build anything with my own hands, nor did I care about anything other than power, blood, and sex. There was Pam of course, who I would do anything for… but even that relationship could probably use some help.

Even though I was considered one of the most respectable and fair vampires in the world, I was questioning myself. There were others out there far worse than me, who killed anything in sight and used their power to force other supernaturals to do their bidding. I at least always paid any werewolves, shifters, or witches who assisted in whatever mess Pam and I were trying to get through. Octavia would be getting a large check soon for all she had done. Pam said she was quite useful in getting my memories back.

I landed softly on the front lawn and heard Sookie inside the house. Beyond my values and beliefs, my time as a human had shown me I could still feel things. I was vampire again and still feeling them this very second. I suppose I had feelings all along but it took a telepathic nurse to make me stop ignoring them.

As I made my way up the steps of her front porch, I had no real plan of what I wanted from this encounter. Did I still love this woman the way I did as a human man? Could I ever be that man for her again? Most of all would she even give me a chance to speak? Sookie knew I was not human and she was smart enough to be afraid of me.

I raised my hand slowly and knocked on her front door twice. I stood there waiting and knew if I had a heartbeat it would be racing.

**a/n: Hope you guys liked it! Please share your thoughts! Lets see if Sookie answers the door next chapter...**


	16. Chapter 16

a/n: This chapter is a bit short, but I just wanted to post something for you guys. Thanks to anyone still reading this, hope you enjoy. =)

**Chapter 16**

**SPOV**

A month had passed since Eric left. I started out missing him every second of each day. I forced myself to go to work and keep my routine but I went through the motions like a robot. Amelia did her best to distract me or cheer me up. During our shifts at work she would tell me stories Octavia shared with her about being a witch. She was really starting to take an interest in it. I did find the tales interesting and learned little bits and pieces about the supernatural world from them. I tried to not think too much about why I was carefully saving any bit of supernatural information in my brain. I shouldn't be trying to think if a relationship with a certain undead man could actually work.

Usually the stories always proved my line of thinking to be very wrong. Vampires considered humans to be food or at best pets they could consistently feed from and fuck. I was disgusted by the idea of them and kept telling myself Eric was not the sweet human I missed. That man was long gone, only this monster remained. It made it easier to get through the day thinking he was just evil. However at night my dreams were filled with memories of him. His floppy blonde hair when he first arrived, that shy smile, or sitting in the yard for hours talking about nothing all haunted me at night. So in the morning that ache was still there and once more I would try to ignore it.

It didn't help that everyone in town was asking about Eric. I told everyone things just had not been working out and that Eric had family in another part of the country, so he moved back there. They did not question my story when they saw how upset I was. I did my best to hide it around Jason but he was pissed. He insisted if Eric ever came back he would beat him into the ground for ditching me and his job so easily. I couldn't tell Jason the true story and I never would. It would put him in harm's way.

It was just after ten o'clock and I had locked all the doors for the night. I was sitting on the couch when I heard a knock at the back door. It had to be Jason. All of my visitors always came to the front door. I bet he ran out of butter or something stupid. I got up and walked over, swinging open the door with a sigh, ready to chastise him for not planning out his grocery shopping.

I took in a sharp breath.

Eric was standing in my doorway, my Eric… no… vampire Eric.

I immediately stumbled back a few steps. He loomed in the doorway, easily taking up all of the space. Already he looked like a different being. His hair must have grown back some. It was no longer buzzed short for construction work. It was a bit longer, parted, and slicked back with some styling product. His face was pale and clean shaven, not even a hint of stubble on his chin. His blue eyes sparkled as always but they were intense, and dark. They were not the warm blue eyes I remembered. His clothes looked like they were pulled off of a celebrity in Hollywood. His dark wash jeans and black leather jacket somehow made him more intimidating.

"Sookie…" His voice was steady, familiar, yet somehow unattached.

I realized a good minute had passed and I just stood there staring at him. I remembered Octavia saying he could not come in unless I invited him. It seemed to be working since Eric was still outside.

"W-what are you doing here?" I was scared. I would be an idiot not to be.

"I…." There was a quick flicker of uncertainty across his face and for a second he looked more like the Eric I knew. "..don't know."

Well that was helpful. Was he here to kill me? Because I knew his secret?

"Are you going to kill me?"

"No, I am not here to hurt you." He tried to take a step into the house but some invisible force stopped him. Damn, it really did work. When he was forced back there was an odd expression on his face but it wasn't there long enough for me to decipher it.

"Then why are you here? I didn't tell anyone what I know. I'm not going to blow your cover." Only an idiot would threaten to expose an entire monster race's existence.

"I wanted to see you." The words were simple and would have made me melt if he did not look so alien. My Eric was warm, full of smiles and sometimes bashful expressions. This Eric seemed to have no facial expressions at all. He was cold, emotionless almost, and his presence was a bit overwhelming.

"You do not have to let me in, I do not expect you to trust me. Just talk to me, I will stay out here." Eric almost seemed to be pleading with me. It was a strange mix since somehow he also seemed a bit arrogant… well this monster version of him did. He did not seem to know what to do, begging looked like it was rather a foreign behavior for him. I really wondered what he was like….I kept calling this the 'monster' version of Eric. But I guess this was the real Eric, this was who he had been before he met me.

After a few seconds of debate I decided there would be no harm in this. I knew he could not enter the house and this might be my only chance to learn something real about him.

"Okay" I breathed and tried to steady my voice. I grabbed a kitched chair and pulled it up so it was a few feet form the door, then sat down. Eric slid an old lawn chair from the mud porch over to his side of the doorway and took a seat. For a few seconds we sat there in silence, inspecting each other from our sides of the entryway.

"Are you alright? You look ill." Gee, what a compliment.

"Fine, I'm just… stressed out." I was heartbroken and scared of everything in the dark. I barely slept.

"Is Eric really your name?" Octavia might not know his real name, maybe vampires had code names.

"Yes, my name is Eric Northman."

"How old are you?" I had plenty of questions to ask.

"A little over a thousand years old. When I was human, my people were what you now call Vikings." He explained as if it was just another boring history fact.

My jaw was probably on the floor. A thousand? A fucking thousand? I thought seventy or a hundred was crazy but he was one thousand years old? I don't think I could even properly comprehend that span of time.

"Okay…" I had no idea how to reply to that. What do you say to someone who has existed for that long? They probably have heard it all. "Who is Pam?" I decided to move on to another question.

"She is my child. I turned her into a vampire almost a century ago." He seemed to want to move closer but kept himself in the rusty lawn chair.

"So she's like family?" More like he murdered her and forced her to be his family.

"Yes, very much so." Eric was still stoic and eerily calm. "Are you afraid of me Sookie?" He leaned forward, his arms resting on his knees.

"Yes" I forced the words out, they were barely a whisper.

He seemed taken aback but nodded. "You have no reason to fear me. I might not be human anymore, but I would never hurt you."

I wanted to believe him. I wanted to not think of him as a monster that was waiting in the shadows to drink my blood. But that was easier said than done. Up until a month ago I had no idea vampires even existed, the only stories I heard were ones Octavia shared and they all displayed the vampire as a villain, so how could I possibly think of Eric any differently?

"You're different." My voice was trembling. I wanted to say something better than that but they were the only words that came out.

Eric sighed and I wondered if he even had to breathe.

"I know, I can't be the man I was when you found me. I was empty then, now I have hundreds of years worth of memories and experiences influencing me. But I must admit my memories of being with you seem to be the most vivid. I have not forgotten you Sookie, or all that you did to help me." Eric paused and his eyes searched mine. He wasn't quite as guarded and it sort of felt like the Eric I knew. "I would like you to get to know me Sookie, all of me. However I understand if that is something you do not desire."

He was giving me the choice. It was up to me to decide if I ever bothered with Eric again. I could tell him to leave and go back to my normal life, knowing he promised to not come back and hurt me. I could forget all of this craziness happened and just be a nurse again. But then there would always be those wonderful memories of Eric in the back of my mind. I would always miss the human man I shared my home with. He was gone for good, but right in front of me was a slightly altered version of that man, asking me to give him a chance.

I had already taken a chance on Eric and it sort of blew up in my face. Could I handle taking another one?

"Okay, but I'm not inviting you in yet." I guess I was taking another chance.

The corners of his mouth tilted up ever so slightly. "That's fine, I can appreciate your beauty from afar for now."

I felt my cheeks heat up and stared at my bare feet. I was in my pajamas since my original plan was to watch TV then go to bed.

"I will let you get back to your evening. Perhaps I will see you tomorrow night?" Eric stood up and I was still amazed at the difference in how he carried himself. He wasn't gawky as a human but he did not radiate the power and dominance he did now. I couldn't even pin down exactly what change caused all of that, but somehow he managed to take over the entire kitchen without ever stepping foot into it.

"Alright, well… have a good night doing…whatever you do…" I had a lot to learn about him.

Eric just smirked as he started to saunter across the mud porch and down the back steps. He looked back at me once he was in the driveway and winked before taking off into the darkness at that freaky vampire speed. I locked up the door again and collapsed in my bed. I wondered if when I got home tomorrow night, he would be here waiting for me.

a/n: Thanks for reading!


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17**

**EPOV**

I waited until I was well into the woods to start flying. I figured I could try to ease her into my crazy life, I would show her my flying later on. Hopefully with her in my arms. That would take a lot of time regaining her trust but right now I was willing to give it. One thing I always had plenty of was time. Sookie would be a challenge and I always enjoyed a good challenge.

Seeing her tonight reaffirmed my feelings of missing her. The second she opened that door I wanted to step inside the small but familiar room, and wrap my arms around her. The fear in her eyes hurt but it was to be expected. All of this was thrown upon her in a rush. I could at least be content that she was going to give me a chance. I do not know why she continued to take chances on me but I was going to take advantage of it. She had changed me without even knowing it. My entire being felt as if it had shifted some, I felt more alive than I had in years.

When I returned to my home to rest that day my thoughts revolved around Sookie and when I would see her again.

"Eric, it's your turn to watch Bubba for a couple weeks. Area 3 just finished with him." Pam walked into my home like she owned it herself.

"When are they bringing him?" Bubba was one of the few celebrity vampires. Most 'famous' vampires were considered that due to their age and experience. It was never because of what they achieved in their human lives. Bubba was one of the only exceptions. Apparently even vampires loved Elvis. I did not love the music but I liked Bubba well enough.

"Tonight, we have to meet them at eleven." Pam was scrutinizing her makeup in a small compact mirror.

"Send Chow and Thalia to pick him up, he can stay at their home." Normally I would go myself but I had other plans. A certain nurse would be home from her evening shift by then and I intended to visit as long as she would let me.

"Why? You always pick up Bubba." She snapped shut the compact.

"I have other business to tend to." I started to walk towards the door.

"Eric, what the fuck? You've been different since you came back. I thought you just needed to readjust but its been weeks. Where the fuck is my maker?" She demanded, obviously pissed.

"Pam I do not have time for fucking tantrums. I have business to tend to. If you try to argue with me again, I will simply command you to do as I please." I spun to face her, a snarl on my lips. "Do not make me do that."

"Fine" She huffed and immediately left.

I did feel bad, I hated threatening her with my maker status. I might be her superior but I stopped thinking of Pam as a 'child' long ago. I thought of her as my comrade, an equal that shared a piece of my existence.

I knew she would take care of business. She was mad but always responsible. So I set off for Bon Temps with few worries on my mind. This time I took my car in hopes it would make me seem a little more normal to Sookie. When I got to her house I parked next to her silver car. I remembered her telling me how excited she was to have sent in her last payment on it two months ago. She was a hard worker and took pride in what she earned for herself.

It was just after ten when I walked up the back steps and knocked on the door. Sookie opened the door slowly and gave me a nervous smile. I missed her greeting me with a kiss and jumping into my arms.

"Hi"

"Hello Sookie" My eyes traveled up and down her body. I did not hide my attraction to her, but I did try to hold back on the sexual comments and innuendos. Sookie might not know me anymore but I still knew her. I remembered modesty was of value to her so making comments about fucking her would get me nowhere. With some women it would have them tearing their clothes off but Sookie would just withdraw more if I acted that way. So I did my best to behave myself.

"Um, you want to sit down?" She motioned towards the lawn chair. I guess I had to sit on the porch again while she sat in the kitchen.

We sat down across from one another. This time Sookie was in her work clothes instead of pajamas.

"So…. How was the rest of your night?" She seemed so unsure of herself around me now.

"Mundane. I returned home, read a book, and went to bed." That was the truth. Pam really found me boring these days.

"Really?" She looked surprised and I couldn't help smiling. "You have a bed?"

"Yes, I also have a car, a house, a shower… I do plenty of normal things."

"What kind of car?" Sookie mused.

"Look out the window and see for yourself." I could not resist the cocky grin sweeping my features. "I am sure you think I stole it or killed someone for it. That is not the case. I might be a vampire but with the invention of the internet and other technology, I can conduct business at all hours. I have plenty of legal ways to earn money."

"How? I mean how do you own all of that stuff without being human?" Sookie seemed very curious.

"If a teenager can get a fake ID, I think I can manage it. I also work so I can afford things." I left out the fact that I did not need to work. I was extremely wealthy and had bank accounts in numerous countries.

"Wow…you're strangely normal." She was scrutinizing me as if she was waiting for my fangs to pop out and ruin my very human appearance. "What do you do for a living?"

That could be a long explanation. I owned businesses, I invested money in other projects, I was a bit all over the place but always up to something new.

"I own a few businesses but I am trying to open up a bar in Shreveport. That is my most recent project." I explained to her. Most of the time when people asked me questions I thought they needed to stop pestering me. But with Sookie I wanted to share, I actually found I enjoyed it. My only concern was telling her too much and overwhelming her.

"I hope I am not so scary after all?" A vampire could hope right?

She watched me quietly for a few moments before answering. "Maybe" There was a hint of a smile on her face but it faded quickly.

"What's wrong?" I leaned forward in my seat. I wanted to reach out and touch her, be close to her, but the invisible shield in the doorway would keep me on this side of the threshold.

"Everything about you seems sort of normal but… you have to eat right? And I bet it's not steak and mashed potatoes like before." She cringed as she finished her sentence.

I knew this would come up in conversation. I just had not expected it so quickly. One thing was certain, human food was much improved and Sookie was a good cook. I would miss being able to eat the dinners she made. I took a deep breath that I did not need to take and started to explain.

"It is not. I live off of human blood just like you see in movies. Since I am so old I can take very little and survive without a problem." I could tell she was getting freaked out again but continued. If I wanted anything with her she had to know all of me. "I never kill anyone for a meal anymore. I take what I need, heal them, and let them go once I have erased their memories of the experience."

"Anymore?" She stuttered.

Of course she caught on to that one pesky word in my explanation. I leaned back in the rusty lawn chair. I wanted her to not see me as something evil but now that I was trying to explain this to a human, I felt more like a monster than ever before. Being used to taking pride in my race made this difficult. I was not ashamed to be a vampire. But for the first time in my existence I wished to be something else simply because the one person I wanted was afraid of what I was.

"As a young vampire it is hard to control your… desires… when it comes to feeding. I can tell you I honestly have not taken a life for food in centuries." I had taken lives for other reasons but again… too much information at once would be detrimental.

"Oh…" She seemed to be just as worried again. All of that talk about owning a house and car washed away with one simple fact about me, I was a predator. "How do you erase memories?"

I should not be telling her all of this but she knew so much already. What was the point in trying to hide things? She proved she was trustworthy by keeping my secret this long.

"It is called glamouring. If I focus on a human, catch their gaze, I can wipe certain memories from their mind. I tried to glamour you the night I became a vampire again." I admitted with shame. "But it does not work on you. My best guess is it has to do with your telepathy."

"I am glad it did not work. I was foolish to think I could let you slip out of my life." I add in, she needs to know I still care. "Sookie I miss you. I want to be there for you, I just need you to trust I will not hurt you."

She was quiet again and it worried me. I wanted her more than anything in a very long time. However I felt torn between two worlds with little idea of how to make them mend together. My race was still a secret and if I tried to be around Sookie consistently people would start asking questions.

"Are you going to try to glamour me again?" Her eyes were on the floor.

"No of course not, that was a mistake." Admitting I was wrong was not enjoyable but I was doing what I had to.

"Okay" She stood up from her chair. "I want to believe you Eric but it's just going to take time and I don't know if I really will ever think of you the same."

That was not what I desired. I wanted her to still want me despite my lack of humanity. Unfortunately that might never happen. I could not recall the last time a woman had rejected me in anyway. This was not pleasant.

"Alright….maybe I can change your mind, I will see you soon Sookie." I could tell she was tired and overwhelmed. Tonight's visiting session was done and I took my leave. I bid her goodnight and took off in my corvette. It was still early so I sped off to meet up with Pam and Bubba.

**SPOV**

For the next week Eric showed up at my house almost every night. I had yet to let him inside because I was afraid but it was easier to talk to him. I learned more about him each night and sometimes he seemed human if only for a short while.

Tonight I had the night off from the hospital so I was in regular clothes. I heard the tell tale sound of Eric's corvette rumbling down the driveway. He usually took his car instead of running or flying. Oh yeah, some vampires can fly, who knew?

When he approached the back door my heart leapt into my chest. I was going to do something different tonight, something that could change everything.

"Hi Eric, won't you please come in?" My voice trembled a bit but I fought to keep it steady. The surprise was evident on Eric's face as he stood on the mud porch. He even had his rusty lawn chair ready to sit in.

Eric put the chair back and it seemed like he was moving extra slow on purpose in order to avoid startling me. I appreciated the gesture but my heart was still hammering in my chest. This was the real test to see if I could trust him. I was making myself completely vulnerable by inviting him inside.

What if this was a mistake? What if he killed me right now and this was all some sick game for him? Octavia would probably tell me he enjoyed hunting me and that forcing him to wait only made the victory that much sweeter.

My eyes were watching his every move as he stepped into the kitchen. Eric looked around briefly but his eyes quickly refocused onto me. He stopped when he was a few feet away and made no move to come closer. I tried to force myself into a calm state. He was not trying to slaughter me, he was just standing in my kitchen. I took a deep breath.

"Sookie, I will leave if you wish." He offered and I could see the honesty in his eyes.

"No…" I tried to sound more certain about it. "No, it's just…it's weird having you so close when I know what you are." He was the predator and I was his prey. You never saw a deer invite a wolf to hang out did you?

"Well I would like to be much closer, with much less clothing." He grinned at me.

Unfortunately his humor did little to make the tense situation better. The old Eric might have said something like that and it would have made me laugh or roll my eyes. Vampire Eric saying that was a tad scary and extremely intimidating. I did not want to think about how much experience he had with women in a thousand years of existence. I also had no idea if I could ever be with him like that again…it was hard enough to trust him being in the same room.

Eric realized his mistake due to my silence. "I am not trying to make you uncomfortable, I thought a little humor might help."

"I'm sorry Eric, it's just not the same as before. There is so much I don't know about you and there is a lot I probably don't want to ever know." I sighed and started washing the few dishes in the sink. Maybe busying myself with a chore would help.

Eric moved to lean against the counter and much to my surprise he started drying the dishes and putting them away. He of course knew where everything went.

"What?" He asked when he saw my shocked expression.

"You just don't look like you wash too many dishes in your spare time." I shrugged. He looked rich as hell and like a maid did chores for him.

"I don't because I don't eat human food. But you are right I probably would not waste my time on such a task. However, I don't mind helping you." Eric explained and continued drying the dishes as I washed them. His domestic behavior was making me more comfortable by the second. Standing there washing dishes with him was all so normal it almost felt like before.

"So how is the whole bar business coming along?" I remembered him mentioning that was his newest venture. I also recalled him mentioning a creepy bar basement when he had amnesia…but I ignored that thought for now.

"Slow but steady, there are always unexpected obstacles in the business world. Plus humans have an awful lot of those rules they call health regulations." He put a few clean glasses on the empty top shelf of the cabinet.

"You know I can't reach that." We went over this when he was human.

"I know" He smirked "It gives you a reason to invite me in again."

I rolled my eyes at him. He might be a big and bad vampire now but he was still a little mischievous punk.

"You don't have to hide my dishes to make me invite you inside again."

"Good to know." He nodded and dried off the last piece of silverware then placed it in the drawer.

We went on like that for another twenty minutes. I washed dishes and Eric dried them, placing them in the cabinets. Our conversation covered his new bar, my work, and he even asked about Jason and the road crew. He wondered about how Hoyt was doing and if his mother was still smothering him. It was all very pleasant…. That is, until Pam showed up at my front door.

a/n: thanks for reading!


	18. Chapter 18

**a/n: I didn't proofread this, so apologies for major spelling errors!**

**Chapter 18**

"Eric!" Her voice had become nails on a chalkboard to me. Nothing pleasant ever came along with Pam. At times I wished she was never around because maybe I would still have my human Eric.

"What is she doing here?" I asked Eric, dropping the last dish I was washing. Pam scared the shit out of me.

"I don't know, I will find out now." Eric looked furious and I backed a few steps away from him. "Do not invite her in." He commanded then headed through my living room to the front door.

I had no plans of ever inviting that psycho blonde into my house.

I followed behind Eric slowly and stopped a few feet behind him. If she was his family she wouldn't hurt me right? She would listen to Eric…. Unless this was a part of his master plan to murder me.

No! no! I could trust Eric, I wanted to so badly.

"What are you doing here Pam?" His voice was stern and full of authority as he opened the door.

Pam was there in her designer clothes. Her top was pastel blue and it seemed all too friendly a color for a vampire. The conservative string of pearls around her neck was also too Stepford for my idea of a monster.

"Every night you take off somewhere, you've been acting crazy as fuck, so I wanted to know where." She explained with fury. "Turns out you're visiting this human? What the fuck Eric! You have shit to take care of in Area Five and you're neglecting it for some blood bag?!" Her fangs snapped down and she hissed at me.

Holy. Fucking. Shit.

I looked around for a weapon but there was nothing close enough. My coat closet was a good distance away with my brother's old rifle in it. I would have to turn my back to get it. However while I was thinking this Eric was already reacting.

His fangs came down as well with a definitive _click _and he snarled at Pam. The growling sound erupting from his chest was down right frightening and sounded feral.

"Pamela this is the last time you will disrespect me. I am your maker, and you have no say over anything I choose to do. If you ever come near Sookie again or threaten her, I will command you out of my area." He growled. Eric was not yelling but the lethal edge to his voice would force anyone to take him seriously. "As your maker I command you to go home, now."

Pam looked a bit dumbfounded and maybe even hurt. She darted off into the night too quickly for me to tell. When Eric shut the door and turned around his fangs were still visible. I had not seen them since the night he left me. Seeing the evidence of what he was made this situation extremely real. I was staring and recalled my Gran saying that behavior was rude. However right now I could not help myself.

Eric walked over and I expected him to hide his fangs again, however the hell he did that. Instead he took my hand in his. The cool feeling of his skin was strange but I didn't feel threatened. I watched as he slowly lifted my hand. When I realized he was bringing my fingers towards his mouth I started to pull back.

"Trust me" He murmured and for some insane reason I did.

Eric brought my fingers right up to his lips until one of my fingertips was touching his fang. He could bite me right now but instead he let my hand drop but didn't completely let it go.

"See, I don't bite… all the time." He smirked and I smiled a little. Eric was pretty good at getting me to smile I'll give him that much. He had always been good at that as a human. "I am sorry about Pam. She's used to me being around all the time and I have certainly changed since I was turned human… she tends to get dramatic. But I would never let her hurt you."

"I know." I said and for the first time I really believed it. Eric had defended me to Pam and he was getting into fights with his own family over me. That had to mean something. I could tell that argument was not staged for my benefit in some master scheme he had to kill me. This was all very real for Eric and now I just had to figure out if this could possibly work.

Did I still have feelings for him? Of course I did but they tended to revolve around the human version of Eric I held close to my heart. I needed to let this Eric into my life and see if I could love him the way I did before. For now I chose to not think about the complications of hiding what he was to my friends and family, or how I could date someone who only came out at night.

"Come out with me, tomorrow night" Eric was still holding my hand and I wondered if my skin felt burning hot to him.

"Where?" I was leery of going outside of my own home with him. This had become a safe zone and I felt comfortable here.

"On a date of course. I will take you to dinner, a movie… whatever you like."

Was he for real? His face was dead serious so I guess he was. "Do vampires even go on dates?"

The way Pam was reacting to all of this made me wonder what Eric was like before a spell turned him human, and drained out all his memories.

"Some of them do, many of the younger ones want to still feel human. There are even some older vampires who still prefer to live in a more human manner. I can't say I ever had the urge to until now." Eric admitted without shame.

"Have you ever been on a date?" I questioned. My curiosity was insatiable around him.

"Other than the ones I went on with you, no, I had never been on a modern human date before that."

Wow, a thousand years of experiences and not one regular date. I was sure Eric had done something similar to dating in his human life… but it probably was called something different back then. Or maybe he was married? Or had an arranged marriage? Did he have kids? There were still so many questions to ask.

"Okay, lets go somewhere outside of town though. Everyone is pretty much hating you around here right now." I admitted but he probably suspected that. As far as my brother and everyone else knew, Eric just up and left me very abruptly.

"Yes….that is unfortunate. I did like that human man Hoyt. He was simple but never annoying." Eric pondered for a few seconds. "Oh well, I will pick you up tomorrow night at eight. Goodnight Sookie." He kissed my hand and when his cold lips briefly touched my skin I felt a jolt of adrenaline and it wasn't the kind you felt when scared, it was definitely the good kind.

"Night Eric" I smiled and he headed out the door.

The following morning I was at work half asleep when Amelia came bouncing in. I was sitting at the front desk going through spreadsheets that listed out each patient's prescriptions.

_I can't wait to tell her! This is going to be so exciting!_

Amelia's thoughts were screaming at me as she took a seat next to me.

"Morning Sook!" She beamed and was all too chipper for the early hours of the day. I supposed having a late night visitor all the time didn't help my case.

"Hey Ames, what's got you in such a good mood?" I'd much rather ask than pull it from her thoughts.

"Octavia has officially agreed to start training me as a witch! How cool is that?" She was grinning from ear to ear.

"That's great, but what exactly does it mean?" I had paid more attention whenever Octavia talked about vampires. The witch stuff I tended to not focus on. I had enough to remember about one supernatural race without adding another.

"I'm going to start attending the meetings she holds with her coven. That's the group of witches she works with. Then from there I guess I'll just start learning spells and the rest of the supernatural world. I can't wait!" Amelia squealed and was almost bouncing in her seat. I was glad she was so excited but I also wondered what we were both getting ourselves into.

"Just promise me you won't start hating all vampires like Octavia, okay?" I understood being cautious but if by some miracle things worked with Eric… I didn't want Amelia to hate him.

"Now why would you ask me that?" Her head was buzzing with her many ideas of what I had been up to with Eric. Some of them were far too pornographic for my taste.

"I have a date with Eric tonight." I blurted and looked back to my spreadsheets. I don't know why I felt self conscious about it.

"Really? So you're definitely giving him another chance? What if he bites you? Has he bitten you?" Her words came out in a tumbling rush. I wondered how her mouth kept up with her brain.

"God no! That freaks me out… I don't know how any of this will work out, but yeah, I decided to give him another chance." I was tapping my pen nervously on the desk.

"Damn… I don't know if I'd be able to do that. Good for you though, I do know I've never seen you happier than you when you were with him….well human him." Amelia explained "So if you date him, does he run off and bite other people when he needs a snack? Octavia told me feeding and sex are almost the same thing to vamps. So weird."

I had not even thought of that. Then again I had no idea feeding meant sex might be involved. I felt very naïve in this new, dark world. "I have no idea, I didn't even know that. I guess I have to talk to Eric about it. I can't say I want him biting me at the moment." It was just freaky to think about, especially when a couple weeks ago I thought vampires were not real.

"I don't blame you Sook. That's an awful lot of trust to put in someone. And I'll tell you anything new I learn about vampires, it seems like there is an awful lot of crap to know about them."

"Thanks" I forced a smile and went back to work. Before I was looking forward to my date, now I was dreading it and my nerves were going wild.

Hours later I was staring at myself in the mirror, holding up a curling iron on one side of my head. Was I insane? When I spoke with Amelia at work today I sure felt like I was losing it. I barely knew a thing about vampires or how their lives worked, yet here I was getting ready for a date with one. What if vampires did not have monogamous relationships? What if they didn't even have sex the same way humans did? Could they have children? Could they eat human food or would it poison them? Did they have politics or did they all just run around doing their own thing?

I thought my chats with Eric helped me learn a lot but there was so much more to ask. I debated cancelling but every time I picked up the phone I changed my mind. Eric had given me his cell number so it would be easy to back out….

No, I had trusted him last night and agreed to go out with him. I would give him this chance and see what happened. Eric seemed to be trying his best to still be a part of my life so I owed him that much. I finished getting ready, dabbing on some makeup and putting on a casual summer dress. It was yellow with a white paisley print. I liked it because it reminded me of a warm spring day even though we were in the late heat of summer. Still wondering where Eric would be taking me, I sat down at the kitchen table to cut some coupons while I waited for him. I know, romantic, right?

When there was a knock on the back door I jumped in my chair. I had the door open to try and let some of the cooler night air in, with only the screen door protecting me from the bugs. Outside I could hear the loud chirps of frogs and bugs yet I had not heard a single one of Eric's footfalls. But there he was, in all of his 6'4" glory, wearing jeans and a black button down shirt. As usual his clothing looked like it cost as much as my entire wardrobe.

"Good evening Sookie" He opened the door and walked right in much to my surprise. "You have to rescind my invitation for me to no longer be able to enter your home." He quickly explained.

"Oh" See? So much shit I had no idea about.

"Are you ready to go?" He held his hand out and I stood up to take it.

"Yep" I put my small white purse over my shoulder and headed out the door with Eric. He opened the passenger door of his corvette for me and I awkwardly slid into the bucket seat. I would make a note to never wear a shorter dress in this vehicle.

Eric climbed into the other side with little effort and started the engine. We started heading down my dark driveway towards the road. "So how was your day?"

"To be honest with you, very nerve-wracking" I sighed and looked out the window as he turned onto the road.

"Why is that? Did your brother get his pickup stuck in the mud again?" Eric grinned as he drove. Jason had managed to get his pickup buried in some mud near the pond in his backyard. Eric was the lucky guy who I volunteered to help remove it.

"No, I was just thinking there is so much I don't know about vampires. It's overwhelming." With a human man I might not know his personality or history, but I knew the basics of his existence as a human.

"Sookie you can ask me anything, I will do my best to answer your questions." His eyes were on me as he spoke.

"Eric! Pay attention to the road!" I was not getting into an accident with him.

Eric chuckled and set his eyes on the road again. "My reflexes are fast enough that I never need to stare at the road like a human does when they drive."

"See, yet another thing I don't know…." I muttered.

"Is it not the point of human dating, to get to know the other person?" Eric questioned but with a knowing look because he was not really looking for an answer to that.

"I guess" I leaned back in my seat and tried to think of something interesting to ask him. "Where are we going?"

"You will find out soon enough, I am sure you have a better question than that for me."

"Can vampires have babies?" That one freaked me out, imagining a little vamp toddler running around.

"Not in the way humans can, vampires can only be created by turning a human." Eric explained casually as if it was common knowledge. "I thought you weren't sure if you wanted children?"

"I'm still sticking to that. I was just curious." I did find it amusing that like a human man Eric looked a tad nervous about the idea of talking babies. "What about… you know… do vampires have sex?" I could feel my face turning red, damn you fair skin! "Since you can't have babies and all…"

"Oh we definitely do, that's the one thing that hasn't changed in a thousand years." The way he said it sent shivers down my spine. I could feel his eyes on me.

"What about politics? Do ya'll just run around randomly or is there some kind of structure?" I was quick to change the subject since the temperature in the car seemed to have jumped up eighty degrees.

"Well… I can only discuss that so much. Vampires are very secretive about their existence as well as our hierarchy. I would not want to put you in danger by over sharing." Eric was quiet for a few seconds but then gave me a short explanation. "We do have a political structure. It does not follow your American human politics, but we have leaders in certain regions throughout the world. We also have our own justice system and laws to abide by."

That was actually fascinating. I wanted to know more but I respected Eric's wishes for now on the subject. Maybe in this case he needed a bit more time to trust me in order to share. I wondered if globally there was one leader for all vampires? Did witches have politics too? I would have to ask Amelia…

"Here we are" Eric pulled into the parking lot of a small Italian restaurant in Munroe. I did not realize we had been in the car for so long. When we got out of the car and headed inside it all seemed too normal for a vampire date.

Eric's hand wrapped around mine as we made our way to the hostess, who proceeded to eye my date like a piece of meat. When her eyes landed on me I could see the jealousy in them.

_He's fucking gorgeous. Like a male model. What the hell is he doing with her? He could definitely do better. In fact he could do me, right now._

I frowned and looked at the floor while we waited for her to gather our menus and lead us to our seat. Eric noticed but I just shook my head so he wouldn't ask any questions right now. We were lead to a nice secluded booth in the corner of the restaurant. The setup here was fairly private so most people could not see anything but the tops of our heads at our table. Once we were seated in the horseshoe shaped booth Eric sat right next to me instead of across from me.

"What's wrong?" I didn't really feel like talking about how hot some girl thought he was.

"Just overheard some not so great thoughts, happens all the time." I shrugged and opened up my menu.

Eric frowned but the let the subject be. He knew from when he lived with me how sometimes my telepathy could be a real pain. I learned to live with it and even use it for my job, but it still sucked to heard some of the nasty thoughts people had. The gross sex fantasies were bad, but even worse were the absolutely mean and spiteful things people thought for no reason at all.

"Won't it seem weird that you're not eating?" I was starving but I knew Eric would eat nothing off this menu.

"I will order wine and an appetizer. No one will bother questioning it." He lifted his arm so it was resting on the back of the booth behind me. He wasn't touching me but he was definitely closer. Instead of feeling scared I just felt the normal butterflies of a regular date in my stomach.

We ordered drinks and the food all at once since I easily picked out what I wanted, stuffed tortellini. Our drinks arrived shortly after and Eric pulled the wine glass closer to his side of the table. I wondered if he would actually drink it.

"Is it normal for you to be out with someone like me?" I wanted to ask if vampires ever dated humans, but I kept it vague since we were in public.

Eric paused and for the first time all night he looked a little unsure. "Not really…not like this at least. Some of us keep pets around but they are not treated as equals and are mostly there for food and sex. Once the vampire is done with them they are glamoured to forget everything."

His voice was so low I could barely hear him myself. The answer was not pretty but I wanted the truth. I had suspected this was not regular behavior with the way Octavia was acting and even Pam.

"Oh…" I took a sip of the martini I had ordered.

"Things might change with that someday, there's talk of human blood being synthesized and that could change everything for us." Eric quickly stopped speaking when the waitress came over to drop off my food. I wondered how big the changes would be… would they all stop feeding on humans?

"So has Octavia shared many horror stories with you?" Eric smirked as he changed the subject.

"She definitely doesn't like you but no, nothing specific about you." She complained about vampires in general but she had yet to come up with an actual bad story about Eric.

"Good, I don't need her making me look worse than I already do."

"You look fine, trust me, more than fine." I stabbed one of my tortellini and rolled my eyes at the stupid grin on his face. Apparently a simple compliment was enough to boost his ego after all this time.

"I must admit I was worried you would be repulsed by me now." Eric still had one hand on his wine glass and was tracing the rim with his fingertip.

"Me too, you're different, but not in a bad way I suppose." His cold skin did not make me want to push him away, nor did his fangs.

The rest of the meal was pleasant and once again I discovered myself becoming more relaxed in Eric's presence. I did want to ask more about synthesized blood when we were alone. That subject was as interesting to me as their political system. For the most part Eric was very open with me and I appreciated that.

I found out he was married as a human but it was not for love. His father was the chief of their people and once he passed Eric became their leader and his marriage for the most part was arranged. It was strange to think about having my husband selected for me… but Eric said he did grow to care for and love Aude, his human wife. They learned to respect each other and he described her as a great mother to their three surviving children. It was sad to hear they had five children total but two did not make it through a particularly tough winter.

Eric was very calm as he spoke about all of this. I supposed since it was so long ago he had a lot of time to come to terms with it.

"Did you ever see them after you were turned?" I asked on the drive back to my house.

"I saw my oldest son once, by accident. I was traveling along the coast and I could see him coming in on a boat. It was dark but our vision is near perfect at night so I watched him from the forest. It looked like he had taken up some type of leadership with our people and that made me proud." Eric was staring at the road but there was a hint of a smile on his lips. "After that I never saw any of them but it was for the best. They would have feared me and thought I was a demon of some kind."

It broke my heart that he had to let go of his family like that. He never saw his children grow up and he did not get to see what they did with their lives. It was all very depressing and I promised myself I would try hard to never fear Eric again. He might not let it show, but I knew his own son fearing him had to kill him inside. I did not want to be the person making him feel that way now.

"How old were you when you became a vampire?" Eric did not look old but I could also tell he was well past his teen years.

"I was around thirty I believe, but we did not keep time as accurately back then. I was born in the winter but I do not know what month." So he did not even know his own birthday, how strange.

The rest of the drive home was fairly quiet. The only move Eric made was to reach across the console to hold my hand. I didn't retreat and intertwined my fingers with his.

When we got back to my secluded farmhouse on Hummingbird road I invited Eric inside. It was not late and I wanted more time with him. I felt like I was learning a lot tonight and I had endless questions. Eric followed me inside and we settled down on the couch after I got myself a glass of iced tea. It was strange to not offer him a beverage.

I turned on the television just for the sake of background noise. Eric automatically picked up the remote and put it on the History channel.

"I never knew about this channel until I lived with you. I actually enjoy it." He placed the remote back down on the coffee table.

"You didn't watch TV before?"

"I watched the news but never saw a need for all of the fictional shows, and I never bothered exploring my cable channels." He shrugged and leaned back into the couch. His arm was over the back of the sofa and one of his feet was propped up on the edge of my coffee table. It was identical to how he used to sit when he came home from the road crew and collapsed with a beer.

"So that synthetic blood you were talking about…what does that mean for vampires?" I really wanted the answer to that.

"It's all still in the works, we don't even know if it will be successful… but it could mean vampires not relying on humans as a food source anymore. It could even mean vampires admitting their existence to the world… but again, none of this is set in stone yet. The formula for the synthetic blood has not even been finalized." He explained and I was in shock once again.

"So everyone would know about you guys? Aren't you worried people will try to kill you?" The last thing I wanted was for Eric to get hunted down like a dog.

"That is a risk but with the proper PR things could go somewhat smoothly. Vampires have already been planning the best ways to reveal our existence and how to reduce the risk of humans going on another Salem witch hunt." He rolled his eyes, probably because he was in Salem when that shit happened.

"Wow… my brain will need some time to process all of that. It's learning way too much these days." I sighed and put down my iced tea.

"Are you sure you're okay? I feel really bad eating around you and having iced tea." How was he not starving at this point?

"I am fine Sookie. I promise, I don't have to eat everyday like you do." Eric smiled and I felt his fingers playing with the ends of my blonde hair that fell around my shoulder.

"What if I'm offering?" I asked before my nerves could stop me. I was curious and I trusted Eric to not kill me. He had barely touched me all night and he certainly had plenty of chances to attack me and drain me dry.

Eric dropped his hand and sat up some, his face serious but I could see a hint of excitement in his eyes. "Are you sure about this?"

"I guess so? I mean… will it hurt?" My damn face was turning red again.

"I can make sure you barely feel a thing." He said quietly.

"Okay, then I'm sure." My voice was a little shaky but I was definitely sure. My curiosity really was going to get me killed someday, but most likely not tonight.

Eric leaned forward and instead of his fangs snapping down he brushed his lips over mine. My eyes were still open but I shut them when his cool lips pressed against mine again. My hand moved up to his shoulder while we kissed and forgot about him biting me. His arm slid around my waist and pulled me closer as I felt his tongue glide between my lips. I had definitely forgotten all about feeding him as he mouth moved down to my neck and his tongue swirled over my skin.

God damn, the man could definitely kiss!

"Are you ready?" His voice was husky and low.

I was jolted back to the fact that I agreed to let him bite me. I nodded and then I heard Eric's fangs snap into place.


End file.
